Embattled Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx Facing Tough Re-Election Bid Against Republican Pat O'Brien
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One of the most closely watched races in the Chicago area on Tuesday is the battle for Cook County State's Attorney, pitting Democratic incumbent Kim Foxx against Republican challenger Pat O'Brien.
Normally, a Democrat running for re-election to a countywide seat in Cook County would be a virtual shoe-in for re-election, but Foxx has been hampered by controversies that have fueled support for O'Brien, who has actually outraised the incumbent during the general election.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar has been covering stories for months at Foxx's office, most prominently the controversy over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case.
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Foxx was busy Tuesday trying to convince any undecided voters to vote for her, making four campaign stops.
She is running on a similar platform as she did in 2016, as a progressive criminal justice reformer; going after violent crime and not keeping people locked up for low-level offenses simply because they can't afford bail.
Interestingly enough, Foxx declined to debate O'Brien, a lifelong Democrat who is running as a Republican because he feels it gives him the best shot.
Foxx has compared O'Brien's campaign rhetoric and attacks to President Donald Trump.
O'Brien has previously worked as an assistant Cook County state's attorney, a defense attorney, and a Cook County Circuit Court judge.
He has used Foxx's handling of the Smollett case in his attacks against her, questioning how trustworthy she is. A special prosecutor determined that Foxx displayed abuses in discretion and operational failures in her decisions to charge then inexplicably drop the charges against the actor, but her actions didn't rise to a criminal level.
O'Brien also has criticized her handling of violent crime and looting in Chicago this year
Despite the controversy that's clouded Foxx and her administration for about half of her time in office, she still won roughly 50% of the vote in the Democratic primary against three challengers.
There is a third candidate in this race, Libertarian challenger Brian Dennehy, who has trailed far behind Foxx and O'Brien in the polls.