Cervantez Bows Out, Endorses Fioretti For Illinois Attorney General

Former Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez endorsed former Independent Alderman Bob Fioretti for Illinois Attorney General today, citing a need for party unity.

Cervantez, who served as Jackson County State’s Attorney from 2020 to 2024, said after campaigning around the state for several months, he decided “we need to spend time and resources debating the incumbent and not each other. Bob Fioretti has the political and legal experience to not only win the Attorney General’s office in November, but also to be an outstanding Attorney General.”

A former US Marine combat veteran, Cervantez pledged to actively campaign for Fioretti, including helping with fundraising and organizing southern and central Illinois. Fioretti said Cervantez’ show of party unity is an example for others. “Joe is a veteran and former prosecutor whose legal ability is admired on both sides of the aisle,” Fioretti said. “Together, we’ll make a great team, and with his endorsement, we have an opportunity to do something rarely achieved in recent history: a united Illinois Republican Party focused on targeting the extremists of the Democratic Party, and not each other.”

Fioretti and Cervantez have a similar vision of what the Illinois Attorney General’s office should be. “The Attorney General is the people’s lawyer,” Cervantez said. “Kwame Raoul has been the insider’s lawyer, accepting millions of dollars from Governor Pritzker, disgraced former Speaker Michael Madigan, and Commonwealth Edison, its affiliates and nearly every person involved in the bribery trial of Madigan.”

Fioretti, a graduate of the University of Illinois-Champaign and Northern Illinois University Law School, praised Cervantez, a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and SIU Law School.  “Joe is a seasoned trial attorney who has prosecuted or defended thousands of cases in Illinois, including more than twenty murder cases,” Fioretti said. “I am grateful for Joe’s support, and with his support, I look forward to sending Kwame Raoul into early retirement.”

“I have spent a lifetime standing up to the insiders, and fighting for working people, consumers, and everyday Illinoisans who don’t have a voice in Springfield,” Fioretti said. “Going after violent criminals, standing for victims of crimes and financial scams, and fighting outrageous utility bill increases on behalf of Illinois consumers is the job, and Bob Fioretti’s skill set is perfect for the job,” Cervantez said.”