Eileen O'Neill Burke, a Democrat and former appellate judge, defeated a more liberal candidate in last week's primary election for the top prosecutor position in Cook County, Illinois, according to the Associated Press.
The results were announced after more than a week of counting ballots, including those by mail, but could not be reported on Election Day.
Judge O'Neil Burke is expected to replace Kim Foxx, the county's attorney who took office in 2016 on a progressive platform promising to change the criminal justice system. She has chosen not to seek re-election this year after two terms.
Justice O'Neill Burke's victory was widely seen as a shift from Mr. Fox's approach. His opponent, Clayton Harris III, was backed by Mr. Fox.
In the November general election, Judge O'Neil Burke will face his Republican opponent, former City Councilman Bob Fioretti. However, Cook County, which includes Chicago, has a high Democratic support rate, and the winner of the Democratic primary is widely expected to win the general election.
Crime has become a powerful political issue for voters in Chicago and other cities, where shootings and homicides have soared during the pandemic but have declined over the past two years. Progressive prosecutors, including Mr. Foxx, have been stigmatized over policies that centrist and conservative voters deemed too lenient on criminals.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon faces a difficult race for re-election in November. Chesa Boudin, San Francisco's progressive district attorney, was ousted by voters in a 2022 recall election. In Nueces County, Texas, prosecutor Mark Gonzalez has resigned amid efforts by conservatives to remove him from office.
At times, the Chicago campaign seemed like a referendum on Mr. Fox. In his tenure as Cook County's top prosecutor, Mr. Fox brought about promised changes to some elements of the criminal justice system, but also drew intense criticism.
Fox, who heads the nation's second-largest prosecutor's office, supported a bill enacted in Illinois last year to eliminate cash bail. She came under fire for her handling of the lawsuit against TV star Jussie Smollett, who was convicted in 2019 of falsely reporting to Chicago police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.
Ms. Foxx's office initially dropped charges against Mr. Smollett related to filing a false police report, arguing that Mr. Smollett did not pose a threat to public safety. However, a judge subsequently appointed a special prosecutor to review the case, and the prosecution was resumed.
Justice O'Neill Burke said on the campaign trail that his policies would mark a shift from Mr. Fox's approach and would be tougher on criminals convicted of low-level crimes. . Judge O'Neal Burke vowed to reverse Fox's policy of charging retail theft as a felony only if the value of stolen property exceeds $1,000.
“The current state's attorney does not believe in accountability,” Judge O'Neil Burke said at a campaign event last week.
Harris praised Fox's accomplishments, but said in an interview that she plans to “chart my own path in this office.”
In many ways, both candidates presented similar agendas. Harris and Judge O'Neill Burke said they supported the state's decision to eliminate cash bail, and both pledged to continue the restorative justice measures that Foxx supported.
Their support came from across the spectrum of Democrats in the area, as well as some Republicans. Harris received support from city labor and progressive organizations, including the Chicago Teachers Union and Cook County Democratic Party Chair Toni Preckwinkle.
Judge O'Neill Burke attracted more support and donors from the business community, including six-figure contributions from executives in the financial and restaurant industries.
While Judge O'Neill Burke spent decades as a lawyer and judge, Harris' career has focused on teaching and serving in government.
In the weeks leading up to the election, Cook County voters appeared to be out of the race. In a poll of voters released earlier this month, nearly 60% said they were undecided. The remainder was split evenly between Mr. Harris and Justice O'Neill Burke.