Chicago City Wire

While Cook County state's attorney candidate Pat O’Brien was out and about visiting polling places both in the city and in the Southwest suburbs on Election Day, he accidentally bumped into incumbent Kim Foxx at the United Center on West Madison Street. Both were there greeting voters.

“She strolled in with an entourage of eight to 10 people,” O’Brien told the Chicago City Wire. “I didn't see her very engaged with the voters. She's been very protective wherever she goes and how she interacts because I tend to think that she understands she's not very well received in a lot of parts of the County.”

The first-time politician had challenged Foxx ever since he filed nominating paperwork for the state’s attorney post on Dec. 2, 2019, as a Republican, according to media reports.

Prior to the vote, O'Brien said he will ensure that victims of crime have a voice.

“We'll have a transition team in place and we’ll start interviewing various assistants,” O’Brien said in an interview. “I'll want to meet with law enforcement and elected officials that are key players in the criminal justice system. Then, hopefully, we'll be all on the same page and to make the neighborhoods safer.” 

O'Brien, however, lost handily to Foxx, getting only 40% of the vote to the Democrat's 53% with 96% of precincts reporting.

O’Brien presided as a Cook County Circuit Court judge for eight years while Foxx was elected state’s attorney in 2016 on a campaign that promised reform.

Both campaigns were been limited due to COVID-19 but O’Brien thinks Foxx used the coronavirus as an excuse to hide.

“It may have given Foxx a cover to basically closet herself in her house,” O’Brien said.

As of Nov. 3, there were 430,018 confirmed coronavirus cases statewide and 9,878 fatalities, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

O’Brien’s supporters gathered at the White Eagle Events and Convention Center Tuesday night but only two rooms full of 25 people for a total of 50 gained entry due to pandemic restrictions.

“We're following what I hope are all the guidelines that have been set up by the governor so we can be in a situation where there are 6 feet of space, we're wearing face masks, and no more than 25 people to a room,” O’Brien said. “We're in line with that but I certainly want to be able to see the people who helped in the campaign and people who have been invited because they essentially have such a big stake in all this."