CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Lake County’s next state's attorney said he’s already working on his agenda after ousting a longtime incumbent in an apparent “Blue Wave.”
Democrat Eric Rinehart beat incumbent Republican State's Attorney Michael Nerheim in an election that saw Democrats run strong in countywide races and races for the Lake County Board.
"We've had really strong candidates and we have also been able to take advantage of an environment that is having difficulty with Trump and with the people who frankly are enabling him," Rinehart said.
He said independents and Democrats were engaged.
Rinehart said the killings of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor, and the protests helped voters see his perspective on issues.
"On the one hand you certainly have some very negative things that came out of the summer, in terms of rioting and damage, but for the most part the people in Lake County saw that we have deep problems in our criminal justice system," he said.
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He said he’s already talking with police and others about his priorities, which include combatting domestic violence and addressing racial profiling.
"We can do the crime fighting without engaging in racial profiling and without having the disparities that we see in our courthouse. There are real disparities of how people of color are treated in our courthouse," Rinehart said.
The former public defender said his background will help him represent every member of the public in the justice system.
"I am not only thinking about defendants now, I am actually advocating for all of the people of Lake County, and thinking about the survivors of crime and the secondary victims of crime," he said.