Illinois Democratic Senate nominee?
$1.5M
MAR 18, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleAttorney General
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
Age61 years old (Sep 30, 1964)
GenderMale
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LocationIllinois
BackgroundAttorney
EducationDePaul University (B.A.)
Notable personal detailsKwame Raoul is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois since 2019. He previously represented the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 2004 to 2019. He earned a B.A. from DePaul University and a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He has worked as a prosecutor and as an attorney in labor, employment, and health care-related practice areas.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports using tax policy and federal funding to advance clean-energy investment and worker protections, and has pushed for enforcement of wage requirements tied to tax credits; his office has also pursued recovery of taxpayer funds through litigation. Positions emphasize protecting workers’ wages and preserving public funding for social and environmental programs rather than advocating tax cuts.
Healthcare
Supports protecting and expanding access to Affordable Care Act coverage and Medicaid, defending preventive care and reproductive health coverage, and increasing oversight to limit harmful consolidation in health care. Uses legal action and state policy to oppose rules or actions that would reduce coverage or restrict access to reproductive and preventive services.
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Immigration & Border
Supports protecting immigrants’ access to asylum, public benefits, and services; opposes policies that expand immigration detention, strip birthright citizenship, or force local law enforcement to act as immigration agents; has used litigation and administrative comment letters to defend immigrants’ rights and limit federal enforcement overreach.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports legal access to abortion and reproductive health care, has defended and sought to expand Illinois protections for abortion access, and has pledged to use legal action to uphold those rights. Advocates preserving and strengthening state laws that protect reproductive autonomy and opposes local or out-of-state restrictions that would limit access in Illinois.
Climate & Energy
Supports federal and state climate actions that expand clean energy, strengthen emissions standards, and protect funding for climate programs while enforcing environmental laws against polluters. Has taken legal and policy actions to defend EPA vehicle-emissions rules, preserve Inflation Reduction Act and clean-energy grant funding, and advance renewable energy development. Also pursued enforcement against coal-ash contamination and actions to protect consumers during extreme-heat events tied to climate impacts.
Public Safety & Guns
Kwame Raoul supports expanded gun-safety regulations and enforcement measures, including laws and programs to trace crime guns, restrictions on devices that increase firing rate, and defending state and federal firearm regulations designed to reduce gun violence.
News
Kwame Raoul is in the news because Illinois held its primary election on March 17, with statewide races drawing attention and results expected to come in after polls closed. Coverage around the primary has focused on the broader Democratic contest and voter priorities in Illinois, including strong interest in candidates’ positions on ICE. The reporting does not give a clear, specific update about Raoul himself, so the main development is simply that he is part of this active primary-election cycle.
Chicago and suburban Democratic voters more likely to vote for candidates who fought ICE, poll finds
The Tribune’s Quotes of the Week quiz for March 14
The 2026 Illinois primary election is historic, and here’s why
What time do polls close in Illinois? What to know
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising