2020 Cook County State's Attorney election

Last updated
2020 Cook County State's Attorney election
  2016 November 3, 2020 2024  
Turnout72.20% (ballots cast) [a]
67.72% (votes cast) [b]
  (2020-06-04) Kim Foxx (cropped).jpg 3x4.svg 3x4.svg
Candidate Kim Foxx Pat O'BrienBrian Dennehy
Party Democratic Republican Libertarian
Popular vote1,194,299861,108147,769
Percentage54.21%39.08%6.71%

2020 Cook County State's Attorney election results map by precinct.svg
Results:
Foxx:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
O'Brien:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%

State's Attorney before election

Kim Foxx
Democratic

Elected State's Attorney

Kim Foxx
Democratic

In the 2020 Cook County, State's Attorney election held on November 3, 2020, incumbent state's attorney Kim Foxx (a Democrat) won reelection to a second term, [3] defeating Republican Pat O'Brien in the general election. Foxx had earlier defeated three opponents in the Democratic primary.

Contents

Democratic primary

Incumbent Kim Foxx faced three opponents in the two former Assistant State's Attorneys, Bill Conway and Donna More, and former Chicago alderman Bob Fioretti.

The money spent in the Democratic primary made this the most expensive State's Attorney election in Cook County to date. [4] Conway raised $11.9 million in campaign funds, most of which was from his father William E. Conway's cumulative donations of $10.5 million. [5] Foxx raised $2.8 million, and her biggest donors include Fred Eychaner and the political action committee of SEIU Illinois. [6] [Note 1] More raised $406,000 and Fioretti raised $20,000. [7] [8] [Note 2]

Candidates in the Democratic primary

The following candidates ran for the Democratic Party nomination for State's Attorney:

CandidateExperienceCampaignRef
3x4.svg Bill Conway Former Navy Intelligence officer
Former Cook County Assistant State's Attorney
Website [9]
Robert Fioretti (20741647040) (cropped).jpg Bob Fioretti Former Chicago alderman for the 2nd ward
Candidate for Mayor of Chicago in the 2015 and 2019 elections
Candidate for Cook County Board President in 2018
Candidate for Illinois State Senate in 2016
Website Archived 2020-01-05 at the Wayback Machine [9]
Kim Foxx 2018 (1) (cropped).png Kim Foxx Incumbent
Former Chief of Staff for Cook County Board President
Former Cook County Assistant State's Attorney
Website [9]
3x4.svg Donna MoreCandidate for Cook County State's Attorney in 2016
Former U.S. Attorney and Cook County Assistant State's Attorney
Website Archived 2020-02-01 at the Wayback Machine [9]

Endorsements for the Democratic primary

Bill Conway
Organizations
  • Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 [10]
  • International Union of Elevator Constructors [10]
  • Maine Township Democratic Organization [10]
  • United Hellenic Voters of America [10]
Elected officials
Bob Fioretti
Organizations
Kim Foxx
Newspapers
Organizations
Elected officials
Individuals
Donna More

Polls for the Democratic primary

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Bill
Conway
Bob
Fioretti
Kim
Foxx
Donna
More
Undecided
WGN-TV/Emerson College/Nexstar [32] [33] March 11–12, 2020567± 4.120.3%4.3%36.3%4.8%34.2%
Ogden & Fry [34] March 7, 2020466± 4.6331.7%9.0%48.2%11.1%
19.5%4.2%33.0%5.8%37.5%
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research [35] February 13–16, 2020600± 4.026%5%28%4%
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research [35] January 22, 202016%8%32%5%
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research [35] December 8, 201914%11%36%6%

Results of the Democratic primary

Cook County State's Attorney Democratic primary [36]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Kim Foxx (incumbent) 447,974 50.19
Democratic Bill Conway 276,34130.96
Democratic Donna More122,52813.73
Democratic Bob Fioretti 44,7945.02
Write-in Others9550.11
Total votes892,592 100

Republican primary

Pat O'Brien defeated Christopher Pfannkuche. Pfannkuche had been the Republican nominee for State's Attorney in 2016.

Candidates in the Republican primary

The following candidates ran for the Republican party nomination for State's Attorney:

CandidateExperienceCampaignRef
Pat O'BrienFormer Judge, Cook County Circuit Court 1st Municipal District Website [9]
Christopher PfannkucheLawyer Website [9]
Write-in candidates

Endorsements for the Republican primary

Pat O'Brien
Christopher Pfannkuche
Newspapers
Organizations

Results of the Republican primary

Cook County State's Attorney Republican primary [36]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Patrick W. "Pat" O'Brien 51,610 72.53
Republican Christopher E. K. Pfannkuche19,12226.87
Write-in Richard Mayers10.00
Write-in Others4260.60
Total votes71,159 100

General election

Polls for the general election

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Kim
Foxx
Pat O'BrienUndecided
Ogden & Fry / Cook County Republican Party [A] [52] [53] October 18, 2020473± 3.6947.1%40.6%9.8%
Ogden & Fry [54] September 5, 2020447± 3.7748.1%33.8%18.1%

Endorsements for the general election

Kim Foxx (D)
Organizations
Politicians
Individuals
Newspapers
Pat O'Brien (R)
Politicians
Newspapers
Christopher Pfannkuche
Newspapers
Organizations

Results of the general election

Cook County State's Attorney election [62]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Kim Foxx (incumbent) 1,194,299 54.21 −17.85
Republican Patrick W. "Pat" O'Brien861,10839.08+11.14
Libertarian Brian Dennehy147,7696.71N/A
Total votes2,203,176 100

Kim Fox's performance 54.21% vote share was the lowest performance by a Democratic nominee in a Cook County state's attorney election since 1996. It was also the worst that a re-nominated incumbent has performed in a general election for Cook County state's attorney since the same election, which saw Republican incumbent Jack O'Malley lose reelection. Conversely, O'Brien's 39.08% share of the vote was the best performance by a Republican since 1996 and Dennehy's 6.71% share of the vote was best performance by as third-party candidate since 1996.

Only Democrats have held this office ever since Richard A. Devine unseated Republican Jack O'Malley. [63]

See also

Notes

  1. share of registered voters casting a ballot in Cook County [1] [2]
  2. share of registered voters casting a vote for State's Attorney; this statistic excludes ballots which undervoted by leaving a "blank vote" for State's Attorney [1] [2]
  1. Foxx's campaign committee was created prior to her previous run for the office in the 2016 election. This amount counts all donations received by the committee after December 1, 2016, when Foxx first took office.
  2. Fioretti's campaign committee had been active for several of his prior runs for office. This amount counts all donations received by the committee since April 2019, after the end of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election where Fioretti last ran for office.
  1. The Cook County Republican Party nominated O'Brien prior to the sampling period.

References

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