* As Tom Bowen said of the flotilla of little-known potential AG candidates, lots of people are currently asking themselves “Why not me?”…

A former federal prosecutor who’s become a prominent media pundit about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign and White House is considering a run for office.

Renato Mariotti, who spent nearly 10 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, said Thursday he’s mulling a bid for Illinois attorney general. […]

Mariotti attended the University of Chicago as an undergraduate, followed by Yale Law School. He said one key issue he’s trying to figure out is whether he can raise the money to make a credible bid.

“Ultimately, something like this requires a lot of resources,” he said. “I’m not a rich man. I only left the government a year or so ago. My dad didn’t graduate from high school and I grew up in a very blue-collar family, so I’m trying to figure all this out.”

* From a couple of days ago…

* Today…

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering tells POLITICO she is circulating petitions and raising money in an effort to run for Illinois Attorney General. Rotering, a Stanford graduate with a University of Chicago law degree, was first elected mayor in 2011 and holds up as a chief accomplishment her legal push to uphold a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in her North Shore community. “I have a real record of fighting the NRA. We passed an assault weapons ban in Highland Park, people would say that shows courage,”Rotering told us. “It’s one thing to say you’re drafting legislation and then not voting for it, and it’s another to say ‘I brought this all the way to the Supreme Court and won.’” In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up the assault ban case, which upheld an appeals court ruling. Rotering challenged and lost to U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider in last year’s primary contest, but she managed to snag an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin as well as the Chicago Tribune and raise more than $1.5 million.

       

17 Comments - Blue dog dem - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 2:19 pm: I bet Brandon Kelley would have waited a bit. - Blue dog dem - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 2:20 pm: ..wished he would of… - Toast - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 2:29 pm: Sorry Ms. Rotering, but being turned away and winning are two different things. - Moderate Condor - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 2:37 pm: The last thing we need is more statewide officials from the North Shore bubble. - DuPage Saint - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 2:42 pm: Well the Democrat candidate turn out state wide And the Republican non turn out sure shows how the professional or want to be professional politicians view the Republican prospects in 2018 - Curl of the Burl - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 2:48 pm: BDD - he would be great for balancing out what (again) looks like a very area-specific Democratic statewide ticket. Kelly is the real deal. - Amalia - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 2:58 pm: started reading this and thinking it was Julie who decided to run. that would be great. - DuPage Bard - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 3:10 pm: Here comes what we all were waiting for, the 2nd place finisher to Brad Schneider. Does anyone ever think hey do I really need to run? Maybe I can take a pass? - buffalo soldier - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 3:32 pm: One man’s “little-known” candidate can be another man’s personal hero. The two people mentioned in this post are both experienced leaders who have spent a considerable amount of time and energy fighting the same issues that will face the office of the Attorney General. Just like the previously announced candidates. If they can get the signatures and supply a compelling answer the question, “Why you?”, then I am looking forward to the incredible political debate in the Democratic primary for AG. It’s shaping up to be more interesting than the Democratic primary for Governor. - Sue - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 3:43 pm: This race has more interested candidates then eligible voters - Diane - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 3:47 pm: Mayor Rotering is the most exciting choice I have heard to date. She can raise money, luke someone in the North Shore but does not come off like a stereotype from the area. Her personality is versatile and her qualification solid. - Anonymous - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 3:49 pm: I’ve seen that Mariotti guy on TV. But being a good talking head and a good candidate aren’t remotely the same thing. And does anyone in Illinois have a clue who this guy is? It’s not like he has a super-high profile prosecution to fall back on. Good luck with that one. - Sue - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 3:57 pm: Diane-LOL- what legal experience does she have other then a couple of years at McDermott as a tax lawyer. Being mayor of a small suburb is hardly what Illinois needs in that job - sharpei - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 4:08 pm: Diane…”does not come off like a stereotype from the area”…what does that mean? I think the rest of that sentence would like offend many people. Regarding Rotering…she ran an awful race for congress, she has no personality, and is disliked by many. She will likely get less votes in this statewide primary than she got in her congressional primary. I can’t believe I am saying this, but I think she will get less votes than Scott Drury. - Anonymous - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 4:43 pm: “I have a real record of fighting the NRA.” Nancy Rotering slapping down “the NRA” is about as hard as a weak-kneed little three year old girl pulling out a dandelion by the roots. Anyone can beat NRA, they sell out their own base constantly. For the record, the ISRA (IL state rifle association) took over the suit and mostly funded it. ISRA is the lame state affiliate of NRA, run by Chatsworth insurance salesman Richard Pearson. Pearson is a guy who helped recruit Otis McDonald, then sold him out in Brandon Phelps’ 2013 concealed carry bill with wonderful concessions such as criminal penalties for every violation of the carry license, plus a CTA travel ban. Good old boys like Pearson don’t ride the bus. Beating Pearson and the NRA is child’s play, the gun guys constantly flop on their face fawning to police unions. Maybe Nancy really can win AG. - Diane - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 4:52 pm: Sorry if my comment offended anyone. I was trying to address the remark about people living in a bubble from the North Shore; it appeared earlier in the post. From what I have seen, that is an inaccurate sterotype . I have been active in many issue groups and found North Shore folks to be well informed and issues oriented. Many are leaders in many important public policy areas. We will have to agree to disagree about Mayor Rotering. I have seen her at many events and she has quite a following. At any rate, this will be an exciting election. I do not know about all of the candidates but am very excited she is interested. - Anon - Friday, Sep 29, 17 @ 4:57 pm: Anon @3:49: Mariotti had one of the big financial crime cases a couple years ago. He was the first prosecutor in the United States to indict and prosecute a high frequency trader. There’s been a few others, too. He was very well regarded in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.