Robert W. Fioretti, a Republican attorney and former Chicago alderman, is running for Illinois attorney general in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democratic incumbent Kwame Raoul.
Fioretti, who switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 2022, announced his candidacy on Oct. 14, 2025, at Manny's Deli in Chicago, according to CBS Chicago. He has said his party switch reflected a broader frustration: "Several years ago, I switched to the Republican Party because to me, like (many) others across America, the Democratic Party left me. They left family values, fiscal responsibility and freedom behind," according to the Chicago Tribune.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Born: March 8, 1953, in Chicago
- Education: High school diploma, Mendel Catholic High School (1971); bachelor's degree in political science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1975); law degree, Northern Illinois University (1978)
- Current employment: Attorney at Disparti Law Group (since 2023); adjunct professor of law at Northern Illinois University
Experience and public service
Fioretti served as alderman for Chicago's 2nd Ward from 2007 to 2015. He also served as 2nd Ward Democratic committeeman for the Cook County Democratic Party, according to Wikipedia.
His legal career includes work as a special assistant state's attorney for Cook County and as a special assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois, according to WTTW. He was a law partner at Roth Fioretti LLC from 2014 to 2023 and earlier served as senior supervising attorney in Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's administration.
Before winning elected office, Fioretti represented the family of Baby Tamia in a high-profile 2005 interstate custody case. The case led to changes in Illinois adoption law, providing sweeping protections for birth parents and establishing Illinois as a model for adoption reform, according to CBS Chicago.
Since leaving the City Council, Fioretti has run unsuccessfully for Chicago mayor (2015, 2019), Cook County Board president (2018, 2022), Cook County state's attorney (2020, 2024) and Illinois state Senate (2016), according to Capitol News Illinois.
Fioretti served as president of the Northern Illinois University National Alumni Association from 2000 to 2004. He oversaw the establishment of a Chicago alumni office, a quarterly alumni magazine and the Barsema Alumni Center on campus, according to Wikipedia.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer in late 2010 and survived. In 2019 he published "My Cancer Journey: In Seven Parts," describing his diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
On the issues
The attorney general is the state's chief legal officer, representing Illinois in court and enforcing consumer protection and civil rights laws.
Criminal justice and public safety: Fioretti said he wants to revisit the SAFE-T Act's electronic-monitoring and judicial-discretion guidelines, which he said are too lenient, according to the Chicago Tribune. He said he would use the attorney general's office to "stand up for crime victims instead of violent criminals" and would look at statewide use of grand juries to increase prosecution of public corruption and violent crime. He said he supports recent legislation increasing maximum prison sentences for those who use illegal guns to commit violent crimes, according to his campaign website.
Government reform: Fioretti's campaign said it would withdraw from lawsuits filed by Raoul that, in the campaign's view, impede law enforcement, interfere with election integrity, target gun owners' rights or substitute the attorney general's judgment for parental decision-making on education and health care, according to the Chicago Tribune. Fioretti also said he would hold government accountable by exposing corruption and ensuring transparency, according to his campaign.
Other priorities: Fioretti's campaign also listed civil rights enforcement, consumer protection and education access as priorities, without detailing specific proposals, according to his campaign website.
Endorsements
Fioretti has been endorsed by the following organizations, as claimed by the endorsers according to BallotReady:
- Illinois - Lake County GOP
- Illinois - Madison County GOP
Candidate issue positions are drawn from Chicago Tribune reporting and candidate responses collected by BallotReady.
