Joe Birkett Announces Bid For Attorney General (VIDEO)

DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett is making another bid for Illinois Attorney General.

Birkett, a Republican, announced Thursday that he will run for Attorney General in 2010 even if incumbent Lisa Madigan forgoes higher office and seeks another term.

Watch Birkett's announcement:

Birkett had been considering a run for either governor or attorney general for months. In June, he sent out a fundraising email seeking to tie his cause to the Iranian democracy protests.

According to the email, as quoted by Capitol Fax's Rich Miller, the disputed election results are "a stark reminder that we should never take for granted our right to vote - and that we should avoid becoming apathetic amid our distrust of the corruption-plagued government that has inflicted Illinois for the past six years."

The email, titled "Recognize the Heroes in Iran ... Honor Them by Fighting for Reform at Home," closes with a post script solicitation:

P.S. To reform Illinois, we need the financial resources to match the Democrats. Your immediate online investment in honest government can help us do just that.

The 2010 race will be Birkett's second run for attorney general and third attempt at statewide office. He lost the 2002 AG's race to Lisa Madigan and ran for governor in 2006, before dropping out and running for lieutenant governor alongside Republican gubernatorial nominee Judy Baar Topinka. The pair lost handily to then Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his former Lt. Gov., Pat Quinn.

The Daily Herald gives a thumbnail of Birkett's positions and plans for the AG's office:

Many political strategists argue Birkett's conservative views work against him. The staunch Roman Catholic is pro-death penalty, but he has pioneered many reforms to overhaul the system. He is generally anti-abortion, but he supports it in cases of sexual assaults.
[...]
For years, Birkett has lambasted now-indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich for so-called pay-to-play politics. Birkett hasn't changed his tune much. He pledged to use the Illinois attorney general's office as a vehicle to fight corruption, financial crimes, gangs, Medicaid, corporate and public contractor fraud, and bolster more training, federal funding and partnerships between police, prosecutors and schools.

Comments

[Bude]

I hear Alaska needs a governor.

[DrJulienArbor]

Street gang violence? I didn't realize that those who commit domestic violence, out-of-control civic officials, unethical doctors, those who obstruct justice and everybody who shreds the U.S. Constitution had joined a street gang!

Save it for them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJtbO_nJhCQ

[MovingtoNorway]

Looks creepy

[Tinsdale]

Joe Birkett would be an excellent choice for AG in Illinois. He is probably the only Republican that I would ever vote for, or even consider for contributing money and effort to his campaign. I post this comment as a contributor and volunteer on both the Obama U.S. Senate and the Obama Presidential Campaigns.

I had met Joe Birkett on a number of occasions. Although I am extremely cynical about Illinois politics, I was impressed with his personal ethics and his work ethic. He would make a positive difference for the people of Illinois as Attorney General.

[Cyke101]

Same here on virtually all counts. As a lifelong Democrat who very much likes the job Lisa Madigan has done and very much approves of Obama, I'm glad to hear that Birkett is throwing his hat into the ring. He's done DuPage County quite a lot of good.

Of course, ideally I'd like to have him as AG and Madigan as US senator or governor.

[redraspberry]

Another professional crook.... I mean politician.

[JKChicago]

I don't know how much of a chance he has, considering he's probably best known for his part in the complete mishandling of the Nicarico case.

[Chicago48]

How many times has this been -- 3?

[crookedcountyillinois]

This is some of the best news Illinoisans have had in a long time. We would have a significantly less corrupt state if he had won against Madigan the first time.

[Jack Barron]

You probably also still believe in Santa Claus.

[crookedcountyillinois]

Okay. I found one. I knew someone out there supported Lisa Madigan. I just didn't know who.

Can you please tell me one substantial thing Lisa Madigan has done while A.G. of Illinois?

[Tinsdale]

Heartily Agree, Birkett would have been great for Illinois. Sadly, Lisa Madigan has proved herself to be Daddy's Little Girl.