MOLINE, Ill — Midterms are just around the corner, and Illinoisans will head to the polls on June 28 to cast their votes in the state's 2022 primary election.
Among the top races on the Illinois primary ballot is for attorney general. The attorney general, according to the Illinois Attorney General's Office, is the state's chief legal officer. Whoever holds the role must advocate for Illinoisans, work with the General Assembly for new laws, represent the state in litigation and help ensure state and federal laws are followed.
Incumbent Kwame Raoul has held the position since 2019. He is the sole Democratic candidate in the race. Three Republican candidates competed Tuesday for a spot on the final Nov. 8 ballot, but constitutional lawyer Thomas DeVore secured the Republican nomination with 44% of the votes Tuesday.
Results for this race can be found on News 8's elections page or just below:
Here are the candidates on the Democratic and Republican primary ballots:
Democratic Candidates
Raoul, the son of Haitian immigrants, was sworn in as the 42nd attorney general of Illinois in 2019, according to his website. Prior to the role, he served as a senator for Illinois' 13th District from 2004 to 2019. He began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and served as a senior staff attorney for the City Colleges of Chicago. He is a graduate of DePaul University and earned his Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Republican Candidates
Steve Kim was born in South Korea and moved to the U.S. at the age of 3, according to his campaign website. He earned his law degree at the Loyola University of Chicago Law School and went on to become an advisor for former Gov. Jim Edgar. Kim was appointed to the Illinois Human Rights Commission by the Illinois State Senate. He also served as a member of the Rules Committee of the Illinois Supreme Court, an international trade specialist at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, director of export and international trade at the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and a member of former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk's Small Business Advisory Board.
David Shestokas was born and raised in Chicago's Clearing neighborhood, according to his campaign website. Shestokas earned his bachelor's degree from Bradley University, studied comparative legal systems at Trinity University in Ireland and earned a Juris Doctorate from the John Marshall Law School. He founded his own law practice in 1987 and later served as assistant state's attorney for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
When Lithuania regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1992, Shestokas joined the First World Congress of Lithuanian Lawyers, which worked alongside the president and other officials to restore law and constitutional government in the country. He is also a frequent guest on media outlets regarding America's constitution. According to his website, he's hosted his own radio show and podcast and authored three books on the founding documents, and in 2020, he was in Pennsylvania as part of the Lawyers for Trump team that worked to uncover "election irregularities" in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Thomas G. DeVore is a constitutional lawyer in southern Illinois, according to his campaign website. DeVore has led several lawsuits against COVID-19 restrictions since the start of the pandemic, including cases against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and over 145 school districts to end mask mandates, against Chicago Lori Mayor Lightfoot to end vaccination requirements for the City of Chicago Police and Fire Department as well as against the Department of Corrections to end vaccination and testing policies.
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