Jesse Ruiz, '95: Joining the Race for Illinois Attorney General
Chicago Park District President Ruiz joins race to succeed Lisa Madigan
Jesse Ruiz, a former head of the State Board of Education who also held prominent roles in overseeing Chicago’s schools and parks, on Wednesday formally joined the expanding Democratic primary race to replace outgoing Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
“For too long, many of us have felt forgotten and let down by our government and things are getting worse instead of better,” Ruiz said in a nearly 2-minute-long announcement video.
Ruiz is a partner at the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He raised his ties to former President Barack Obama while pledging to take on the actions of President Donald Trump.
Ruiz said he took a class from Obama while attending law school at the University of Chicago. That experience led him to become a supporter of the future president’s bids for the state Senate and White House.
“As a teacher, Barack Obama always encouraged students to challenge everything, to stand up for what they believed in,” Ruiz said in a statement. “His example is even more important today, when so many of our nation’s fundamental principles are under attack.”
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