Attorney General Race: Lisa Madigan vs. Paul Schimpf vs. Ben Koyl

The daughter of Illinois' powerful Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan—widely maligned for his Machiavellian tactics—three-term Attorney General Lisa Madigan holds a stark advantage over challengers Paul Schimpf (the Republican candidate) and Ben Koyl (a Libertarian).

Madigan seeks a fourth term as the state's AG. Her polarizing family name has doubtless helped advance her career in politics though the ambitious attorney—eager to escape the Speaker's shadow—would be likely be successful without the Madigan moniker. The Chicago Democrat previously served as a state senator and flirted with the idea of running for governor until backing out of the race last year, citing her father's refusal to step down as Speaker.

Schimpf, who describes himself as a "small-government conservative," is an attorney and former Marine. He took a potshot at Madigan in a recent interview with Peoria Public Radio, saying: "You can't be a political insider. You can't owe people favors. You can't have had a background of making political deals. If you've done that, you don't have the requisite independent perspective that the job requires."

The Libertarian Party's nominee, Koyl is a consumer bankruptcy lawyer and litigator with his own legal practice. According to his campaign website, Koyl's primary platforms include combating corruption and government waste, and saving "taxpayer money by streamlining office personnel and technology." Like Schimpf, he takes swipes at Madigan's insidery AG tenure, dubbing himself the "only candidate not beholden to partisan and big money interests."

A mid-September We Ask America poll showed Madigan in the lead by a wide margin, netting 52.57 percent of the vote to Schimpf's 32.03 percent and Koyl's 6.47 percent.

What Could Change: Absolutely nothing.

Contact Us