Press Releases

Lake County Republicans Promote Public Safety and Justice while Democrat State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart Announces Re-election Campaign with Partisan Blinders On

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart announced his re-election campaign last week and Lake County Republicans are eager to face him in the upcoming election.

"When his mentor, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, announced she wouldn't run again, I was worried Rinehart would follow her lead and avoid having to answer to voters for his extremely soft on crime, partisan agenda," said Keith Brin, the Lake County Republican Party Chairman. "I've fielded calls from across the state from people who recognize our far-left progressive state's attorney is out-of-touch with everyday Illinoisans. As a result, he's extremely vulnerable in this upcoming election."

Rinehart is on record as one of only two state's attorneys across Illinois to defend the Pretrial Fairness Act (The SAFE-T Act), sharing Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx’s position against the 100 other elected state's attorneys across Illinois. The SAFE-T Act ends cash bail and, according to Will County State's Attorney, Democrat James Glascow, makes hundreds of inmates eligible for release, including those charged with murder and other violent offenses. Rinehart has maintained his support for the SAFE-T Act even after a Kankakee judge ruled the no-cash bail provision in the Act was unconstitutional this past December. Following Foxx’s April announcement that she was not seeking reelection, Rinehart is now the only state’s attorney in Illinois backing the SAFE-T Act.

"Only 10% of Rinehart's announcement speech covered his actual job: prosecuting criminals and keeping Lake County families safe. The rest was dedicated to how he's using the office to push his progressive agenda, talking about national social issues, and even stating he would refuse to work with state's attorneys who don't share his political beliefs. The people of Lake County don't want an activist as their top prosecutor, they want a strong leader who will hold criminals accountable, protect victims, and keep our communities safe. The Lake County Republican Party will put forward a pro-public safety candidate in the upcoming election," concluded Brin.