CHICAGO – Two Republicans – Champaign area's Erika Harold and DuPage County's Gary Grasso – are vying to be the IL GOP's nominee for attorney general in 2018.
Longtime Democrat incumbent AG Lisa Madigan is not seeking re-election. As a result, there are several Democrats hoping to win the March 20th party primary and challenge the eventual GOP nominee in November.
Erika Harold is Governor Bruce Rauner's pick, and the Rauner millions that have been donated to the Illinois Republican Party are heavily financing Harold's campaign. Litigation attorney Gary Grasso is a former member of the DuPage County Board and former mayor of Burr Ridge. The two were among other AG candidates at a recent Chicago Sun-Times forum.
Harold drew the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune Friday, but the paper complimented Grasso, saying he's an "experienced litigator. You’d want him on your side of the table during a messy contract dispute. When he talks about opioid deaths, he sounds like a tactical local prosecutor on the prowl for bad guys."
Social conservatives are not yet solidly behind either Republican candidate. Pro-family leaders express disappointment in Erika Harold's refusal to publicly identify her once well-known pro-life views – a result of the faulty strategy her Rauner-paid campaign staff is insisting upon, some leaders say.
Therefore, Illinois Family Action withheld endorsement on the attorney general race, as did the Lake County Right to Life. Harold refused to respond to questionnaire requests for official views on social issues, as did Gary Grasso.
However, a new radio ad says Grasso is "proud" to be pro-life, although the depth of his views on abortion are not publicly available:
IL_Grasso_ConservativeChoice_Radio_30
Harold withheld criticism of Governor Rauner's decision to sign into law taxpayer funding of state employee and Medicaid abortions. When Illinois Review asked her campaign manager Jason Heffley back in Septemenber 2017 how Harold would argue a possible legal challenge to the new law, Heffley rejected the opportunity to comment. His concern expressed to Illinois Review was that Harold had a "very good chance to win the election," "she was well-funded" and making a public comment on abortion could endanger her support among suburban women. Illinois Review was not invited to speak directly with Harold.
More on Illinois Family Action's take on the race HERE.
Grasso's organization compared the two GOP candidates in this way – with an emphasis on Grasso's experience over Harold's:
