Former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti formally rolled out his campaign for Cook County Board president Wednesday, pledging to unwind incumbent Toni Preckwinkle’s “dangerous policies on crime, reckless spending, and out-of-control taxes.”
Fioretti, once a stalwart member of the Chicago City Council’s Progressive Caucus, is running as a Republican. He’s part of a large slate that local GOP organizations put forward to fill vacancies left on the ballot after the June primary.
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In a press release and video following his formal announcement at the Billy Goat Tavern, Fioretti sought to tie Preckwinkle to her former chief of staff, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. He said their “soft-on-crime policies” have led to a rise in crime across the county and that constituents deserved “far better than the failures” of both.
“It is time for residents to demand accountability and enact the change needed to fix the problems plaguing our county,” Fioretti said in the release, including “crumbling” infrastructure, high taxes, and high government spending. He pointed to the delay in sending out property tax bills and the county’s growing budget as signs of Preckwinkle’s incompetence.
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“It is time Cook County residents had a leader who will take an independent, responsible, effective approach to governance and the budgeting process. I will put Cook County residents, their safety, and their tax-dollars, first!”
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Fioretti has been unsuccessful over several recent campaign cycles since opting not to seek reelection for alderman in 2015, including two runs for mayor of Chicago in 2015 and 2019. He also finished fourth, and last, in the 2020 Democratic primary race for Cook County state’s attorney — a race Kim Foxx went on to win — and he lost to Preckwinkle in the 2018 Democratic primary.
Sean Morrison, the chair of the Cook County Republican Party who represents the 17th District on the Cook County Board, suggested it’s a smart move to tie Preckwinkle to Foxx and crime, which he says is animating voters.
Still, Cook County has not been hospitable to Republicans of late: President Joe Biden won in 2020 with 66% of the vote to Donald Trump’s 32%, only two Republicans remain on the county board and no Republicans hold countywide office. A victory for Fioretti “would be huge,” Morrison said.
As for whether he had any hesitation in backing a former Democrat, Morrison said Fioretti had a history as a “fiscal hawk” who has been “anti-crime” and “pro-police,” garnering support from GOP committeemen. That has not yet translated into robust fundraising, though Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy has given Fioretti $1,000, campaign finance records show.
In a statement, Preckwinkle’s campaign manager, Scott Kastrup, said Preckwinkle “looks forward to continuing her strong campaign into November, with diverse endorsements from organizations and elected leaders throughout Cook County,” and was more focused on launching several new county programs made possible because of federal COVID-19 relief dollars.
Preckwinkle also defended her record on criminal justice during the Democratic primary campaign.
