Lake County Gazette

Conservative activists are gearing up to challenge Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart.

Rinehart has been known for supporting far-left policies many critics say are criminal-friendly, according to a post on Vernon Township Republican Organization's Facebook page.

“We have an election coming up in Lake County that is VERY IMPORTANT in 2024. If you are sick and tired of the soft on crime agenda of our State's Attorney Eric Rinehart - you need to VOTE HIM OUT. There is an alternative. Stay tuned,” Gurnee resident Melanie Finch said in the Facebook post. 

Finch shared a link to a news release from the Lake County Republicans urging voters in Lake County to reject the reelection bid of State's Attorney Eric Rinehart. 

"When his mentor, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, announced she wouldn't run again, I was worried Rinehart would follow her lead and avoid having to answer to voters for his extreme pro-crime agenda," Keith Brin, the Lake County Republican Party chairman, said in the release. "I've fielded calls from across the state from people who recognize our far-left progressive state's attorney is out-of-touch with everyday Illinoisans. As a result, he's extremely vulnerable in this upcoming election.”

Brin criticized Rinehart for having an extreme pro-crime agenda and focusing more on pushing his progressive agenda rather than prioritizing public safety, according to Lake County Gazette. Additionally, it was claimed by congressional candidate Scott Kaspar that Rinehart is supported by George Soros, and Rinehart's support for the SAFE-T Act, which aimed to eliminate cash bail, was mentioned along with the fact that the act was later partially overturned as unconstitutional.

Rinehart's support for the Pretrial Fairness Act (SAFE-T Act), which eliminates cash bail, aligns him with Foxx and goes against the stance of the other 100 elected state's attorneys in Illinois, according to Center Square. Rinehart continues to back the SAFE-T Act despite a Kankakee judge ruling the no-cash bail provision as unconstitutional, making him the sole state's attorney in Illinois supporting the controversial legislation following Foxx's decision not to seek reelection.