Steve Kim, a twice unsuccessful Republican statewide candidate, announced Thursday he would seek the GOP nomination for attorney general, a position he first sought a decade ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cCrime is spiraling out of control throughout Illinois, and our leaders continue turning a blind eye, pushing to defund our law enforcement,\u201d Kim said in announcing his bid to challenge first-term Democratic Attorney General Kwami Raoul. \u201cAs attorney general, I will work with our law enforcement to tackle our growing crime problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Kim, an attorney with a boutique international law firm, previously served as an international trade and economic development adviser under Gov. Jim Edgar, and was a member of the Illinois Human Rights Commission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In 2010, Kim was the unsuccessful Republican challenger to incumbent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, losing the contest 65% to 32%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Four years later, he ran for lieutenant governor on a ticket with former state Treasurer Dan Rutherford. The ticket finished fourth in the Republican primary that was won by Bruce Rauner and his running mate, Evelyn Sanguinetti.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Kim is the latest addition to a slate of Republican candidates being assembled to try to gain the backing of Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and the state\u2019s wealthiest man, who has vowed to go \u201call in\u201d to defeat first-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Griffin\u2019s office has had no comment on the slate\u2019s formation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n