Watch live: Eileen O'Neill Burke to be sworn in as Cook County State's Attorney Monday morning
CHICAGO — Eileen O'Neill Burke is set to be sworn in as the new Cook County State's Attorney Monday morning, after winning the race with more than twice as many votes as her Republican challenger.
The seat was open for the first time in 16 years, and O'Neill Burke netted roughly 67.4% of the overall vote, compared to the 28.2% received by Bob Fioretti, a civil rights attorney and former Chicago alderman.
She replaces outgoing State's Attorney Kim Foxx, who is stepping down after two terms.
O'Neill Burke pulled in the endorsements of many labor groups, elected officials, lawyers, and retired judges' committee co-chairs. In her campaign, she said her agenda would focus on getting guns off the street and addressing the root causes of crime.
Watch live: Eileen O'Neill Burke to be sworn in as Cook County State's Attorney
What: Justice Eileen O'Neill Burke will take the oath of office and be sworn in as the next Cook County State's Attorney.
When: Monday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. (CST)
How to watch: You can watch in the live player above, or else tune into CBS News Chicago online, on our app or on Pluto TV.
Prior to Monday's swearing-in ceremony, O'Neill Burke announced three transition co-chairs: Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability president Anthony Driver, and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who now runs the violence prevention group Chicago CRED. The trio will be leading nine subcommittees, staffed with a who's who of Cook County advocacy organizations and lawmakers.
O'Neill Burke campaigned on a safer Chicago
She addressed the controversial end to cash bail in Illinois, citing "dueling data" on its effectiveness, and she vowed her office would be more transparent on the impact of the end to cash bail.
"I want to drill down on the State's Attorney's Office data, and when I get in office, that's what we were going to do, and if I come to the conclusion that we're not safer or we are safer, we're going to figure out what's working and what's not working," she said.
O'Neill Burke pledged to publish a list of cases weekly where prosecutors sought to have defendants held in jail, but their request was denied.
O'Neill Burke also said a vote for her was a vote for a safer Chicago.
"On Monday mornings, we wake up to 25, 30, 40 people shot, and we're becoming immune to that. We're not shocked by that anymore," O'Neill Burke said.
