Former mayoral candidate and Chicago alderman Bob Fioretti has tossed his hat into the ring of another political race.
Fioretti, who ran against Rahm Emanuel in the February mayoral race, filed for candidacy for the 5th District state Senate seat on Monday. According to the Chicago Tribune, he announced his campaign on Friday.
The 5th District covers parts of the North Side of Chicago and stretches from the West Loop all the way to the west edge of the city. The district also includes the 2nd Ward, which was Fioretti's domain as alderman from 2007 to 2015.
Fioretti will challenge incumbent state Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, also a Democrat, for the seat. Van Pelt was first elected in 2012.
During his aldermanic days, Fioretti was a harsh critic of Mayor Emanuel, voting against much of the mayor's key legislation relating to the budget. In the heat of the mayoral race, Fioretti touted his opposition to Emanuel, but just days before the runoff election between Emanuel and Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, Fioretti surprised many supporters and announced his endorsement of Emanuel.
Among the issues on which Fioretti plans to campaign for the 5th District race are increased funding from the state for Chicago Public Schools and a bigger focus on mental health issues, which Fioretti believes are factors in the uptick in violence in Chicago. He also calls for freezing property taxes to better support working and middle class families.
