Robert W. Fioretti is the Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

He faces Democrat Kwame Raoul.

Fioretti, a Chicago-born attorney who switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 2022, announced his candidacy on Oct. 14, 2025, at Manny's Deli in Chicago, according to CBS Chicago. He is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Fioretti has said his party switch reflected a broader shift. "Several years ago, I switched to the Republican Party because to me, like (many) others across America, the Democratic Party left me. They left family values, fiscal responsibility and freedom behind," he told the Chicago Tribune.

Candidate information

  • Born: March 8, 1953, in Chicago
  • Education: Mendel Catholic High School (1971); bachelor's in political science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1975); juris doctor, Northern Illinois University (1978)
  • Current employment: Attorney at Disparti Law Group (since 2023); adjunct professor of law at Northern Illinois University

Experience and public service

Fioretti served as 2nd Ward alderman on the Chicago City Council from 2007 to 2015. He also served as 2nd Ward Democratic committeeman for Cook County, according to Wikipedia.

His legal career includes work as a special assistant state's attorney for Cook County and a special assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois, according to WTTW. He was a senior supervising attorney in Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's administration and a law partner at Roth Fioretti LLC from 2014 to 2023.

Before winning elected office, Fioretti represented the family of Baby Tamia in a high-profile 2005 interstate custody case that led to changes in Illinois adoption law, according to CBS Chicago.

He served as president of the NIU National Alumni Association from 2000 to 2004, overseeing the establishment of a Chicago alumni office and the creation of the Barsema Alumni Center on campus.

Since leaving the City Council, Fioretti has run unsuccessfully for Chicago mayor (2015, 2019), Cook County Board president (2018, 2022), Cook County state's attorney (2020, 2024) and Illinois State Senate (2016), according to Capitol News Illinois.

On the issues

Criminal justice and public safety: Fioretti said he wants to revisit the SAFE-T Act's electronic-monitoring and judicial-discretion guidelines, which he considers too lenient, according to the Chicago Tribune. He said he would use the attorney general's office to "stand up for crime victims instead of violent criminals" and examine statewide use of grand juries to increase prosecution of public corruption and violent crime. He said on his campaign issues page that he supports the recent legislation increasing maximum prison sentences for those who use illegal guns to commit violent crimes.

Government reform and accountability: Fioretti's campaign said it would withdraw from lawsuits filed by Raoul that "seek to impede law enforcement officials from doing their sworn duty, interfere in cleaning up the corruption in Illinois elections, target the rights of law-abiding gun owners, or substitute Kwame Raoul's judgment for parental decision making regarding the education, health care and general welfare of their children," according to the Chicago Tribune. He has also said he would hold government accountable by exposing corruption and ensuring transparency at all levels.

Consumer protection: Fioretti said on his campaign website he would focus on protecting consumers and families from fraud, scams and corporate abuse.

Civil rights and education: Fioretti said he would safeguard civil rights so every Illinoisan has equal protection under the law and would enforce laws guaranteeing equal access and fair treatment for students and families.

Endorsements

The following organizations have endorsed Fioretti, according to BallotReady:

  • Illinois - Lake County GOP
  • Illinois - Madison County GOP

Policy positions attributed to Fioretti in this profile are drawn from his responses to the Chicago Tribune, BallotReady questionnaires and his campaign website.