Attorney general race focuses on fighting corruption

Republican rival says Madigan hasn't done enough

Faced with the task of unseating politically potent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Illinois Republicans this fall are recycling their plan from four years ago: Run an unknown candidate, put little money behind him and see if the Rod Blagojevich card plays with the public.

Enter Steve Kim, a Northbrook attorney who so far is tossing out general charges that Madigan hasn't done enough to combat corruption, including the federally convicted ex-governor who awaits a retrial on political corruption charges early next year.

"More needed to be done to be really out there in the forefront," said Kim, whose campaign tagline is "Zero Tolerance on Corruption."

Linking the sitting attorney general to an ex-governor accused of corruption helped Democrats rise to power in 2002, when they targeted Republicans for failing to stop the now-imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan.
Madigan argues she doesn't deserve the same heat in the wake of Blagojevich's arrest, ouster and conviction. The attorney general said her office investigated Blagojevich for alleged hiring fraud during his first term. In a 2006 letter that Madigan released, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald thanked her for turning over the probe to federal prosecutors. Fitzgerald eventually charged Blagojevich with a string of pay-to-play schemes.

"When it comes to murders, rapes and even public corruption, your frontline prosecutors are always going to be your state's attorneys and U.S. attorneys," Madigan said.

Madigan points to her office fighting to keep Ryan from getting a state pension and creating a public integrity unit as proof she is on top of battling corruption. Opponent Kim said he will do more if elected, but offered few specifics.

Like Madigan's two previous opponents, Kim also went after her father, House Speaker Michael Madigan, who doubles as Illinois Democratic chairman. Kim said the family and campaign ties pose an "inherent conflict of interest."

The campaign itself has been low-key. Madigan had more than $4.4 million in her campaign account as of June 30. Kim had less than $16,000.

Kim also lacks name recognition. The only office he has held is as a trustee in Northfield Township, a spot he lost in his 2001 re-election bid to a Democrat.

Asked why he chose to take on one of the most popular Democrats in the state, Kim jokes, "I fell out of bed and hit my head." Madigan won four years ago with 72 percent of the vote.

Kim leans on his business background to make the case he would use the office to defend small businesses from scams and ensure regulation enforcement doesn't unduly harm industries that create jobs.

The 40-year-old is an attorney for a manufacturing company in Huntley and a government-regulation attorney with a Chicago law firm. Kim previously worked as an aide on international trade to Republican Gov. Jim Edgar.

Meanwhile, Madigan has amassed a record of prosecutions, laws and other brokered deals to draw media attention and to tout on the campaign trail.

In the last three months, Madigan's office was in on negotiations to bring Navistar International to Lisle, launched raids on nursing homes to round up felons, probed allegedly unsafe cribs, helped win a push to shut down Craigslist's adult service ads, and won approval of a law requiring all sex-crime DNA evidence to be tested.

"There is a lot of work that we have done," Madigan said. "And there is still work to do."

As for a potential run for another office down the road, Madigan when pressed wouldn't pledge to serve out her term if re-elected.

Also on the Nov. 2 ballot are Libertarian Bill Malan of Chicago and Green Party candidate David Black of Belvidere. Both said they would use the attorney general post to advocate for legalizing and regulating narcotics.

jbryan@tribune.com

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