Lake County Gazette

In the race for Lake County State’s Attorney, candidate Mary Cole has accused her opponent, incumbent Eric Rinehart, and Gov. JB Pritzker of injecting politics into the local election by bringing in outside money. Pritzker recently endorsed Rinehart, praising him for his support of a ban on assault weapons.

“Once again, JB Pritzker and my opponent are dragging politics into the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office!” Cole said on Facebook. “He’s now bringing in the Governor to dump a ton of outside money into our local race.”

Cole, a former Assistant State’s Attorney, claimed that Rinehart’s focus on politics over public safety has led to an increase in homicides in Lake County.

“What does this tell us? It shows my opponent is running scared because he knows I’m a formidable candidate!! After all, I was an Assistant State’s Attorney in his administration and I saw first hand how political he made our state’s attorney’s office. It’s why I was one of 93 employees who have left their positions in that office over the last three years (35 of whom my opponent personally hired),” she said.

“Because of my opponent’s decision to put politics over people, homicides in Lake County have jumped from: 38 in 2020 to 54 in 2022 while crimes in places like Libertyville, Antioch, Grayslake, Gurnee, and Lake Zurich have increased significantly over the last three years.”

According to Politico, Pritzker recently announced his endorsement of Rinehart. In his endorsement, he lauded Rinehart as one of the few state’s attorneys in Illinois who supports a ban on assault weapons - a position that aligns with Pritzker's own stance.

Rinehart is often described as an "activist prosecutor." WTTW reports that he has received funding from groups associated with billionaire George Soros, known for his leftist leanings.

Meanwhile, conservative activists in Lake County have been rallying against Rinehart. They accuse him of endorsing policies that favor criminals. Melanie Finch, a resident of Gurnee, voiced her dissatisfaction with what she perceives as Rinehart’s "soft on crime agenda" and urged voters to consider an alternative in the forthcoming election. According to the Lake County Gazette, the Lake County Republicans issued a statement urging voters to reject Rinehart’s reelection bid. They claim he prioritizes a progressive agenda over public safety. Criticisms include allegations of Rinehart receiving support from Soros and his endorsement of the SAFE-T Act which eliminates cash bail and was partially overturned as unconstitutional.

Cole's biography reveals that she was born and raised in Deerfield. After graduating from Deerfield High School, she pursued her undergraduate studies at Southern Illinois University before obtaining her law degree from John Marshall Law School. According to her website, Cole has been a lifelong resident of Lake County.