Kwame Raoul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kwame Raoul
Raoul in 2009
42nd Attorney General of Illinois
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2019
Governor	JB Pritzker
Preceded by	Lisa Madigan
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th district
In office November 6, 2004 – January 5, 2019
Preceded by	Barack Obama
Succeeded by	Robert Peters
Personal details
Born	(1964-09-30) September 30, 1964 (age 60) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Lisa Moore
Children	2
Education	DePaul University (BA) Illinois Institute of Technology (JD)

Kwame Raoul (born September 30, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician. Since 2019, he has served as the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois. The Attorney General is the top lawyer for the state government. Raoul is a member of the Democratic Party.

Before becoming Attorney General, Raoul was a member of the Illinois Senate from 2004 to 2019. He was appointed to the seat that Barack Obama left when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Early Life and Education

Kwame Raoul was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were immigrants from Haiti. He grew up with a strong focus on education.

Raoul attended DePaul University, where he earned a degree in political science. After college, he went to the Chicago-Kent College of Law to get his law degree, which is called a J.D..

Career Before Politics

After law school, Raoul worked as a lawyer. He was a partner at the law firm Quarles & Brady, where he focused on cases related to jobs and workers.

He also worked as a prosecutor for Cook County. This means he represented the government in court cases. Later, he was a senior lawyer for the City Colleges of Chicago.

In the 1990s, Raoul ran for a position on the Chicago City Council, but he was not elected at that time.

Illinois State Senator

In 2004, Kwame Raoul was chosen to fill a seat in the Illinois Senate. The seat had been held by Barack Obama, who had just been elected to the U.S. Senate. Raoul later won elections to keep his position as a state senator for the 13th district.

During his time in the Senate, Raoul worked on many important laws. He helped pass laws that made it easier for people to vote early and helped low-income families with their energy bills.

Key Laws and Reforms

Raoul was involved in creating several important laws, also known as legislation.

• Education: He supported a bill to improve preschool programs and early childhood education.
• Criminal Justice: He worked on reforms to the justice system. One law he supported allowed inmates to earn credit for good behavior if they completed their high school diploma or took part in helpful programs. He also supported a law that ended the death penalty in Illinois.
• Jobs: Raoul helped create laws to bring more jobs to Illinois. He supported a tax credit for growing companies to encourage them to create jobs in the state.

As a senator, Raoul was the chairman of several important committees, including the Judiciary Committee and the Redistricting Committee.

When Barack Obama became president in 2008, his U.S. Senate seat became open. The governor of Illinois at the time, Rod Blagojevich, considered appointing Raoul to the seat. However, Raoul removed his name from consideration.

Raoul in 2009

Attorney General of Illinois

In 2017, Raoul announced he was running for Attorney General of Illinois. The Attorney General's office represents the people of Illinois in legal matters. It fights for consumers, protects children, and defends the state's laws.

2018 Election

Raoul ran in the Democratic primary election against seven other candidates. He won the primary with 30% of the vote.

In the main election, he faced the Republican candidate, Erika Harold. On November 6, 2018, Raoul won the election with over 54% of the vote, becoming the 42nd Attorney General of Illinois.

2022 Election

Raoul ran for re-election in 2022. He won a second term, defeating Republican Tom DeVore with 54% of the vote.

Personal Life

Kwame Raoul lives in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. He is married to Dr. Lisa Moore, and they have two children.

He is a life member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and a member of the Chicago Chapter of 100 Black Men, an organization that works to improve the lives of African Americans. Raoul is also a prostate cancer survivor.

Raoul has volunteered in his community in many ways. He has helped run free legal clinics, coached youth basketball and soccer, and helped with voter registration campaigns.

Electoral History

2018 Illinois Attorney General Democratic Primary

2018 Illinois Attorney General Election

2022 Illinois Attorney General Election