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G-PAC Announces Endorsements for March Primary Elections

Voters to help combat gun violence across the state of Illinois with the support of G-PAC 

CHICAGO (March 2, 2016) – More than 40 candidates have received the official endorsement by the Gun Violence Prevention Political Action Committee (G-PAC) this week. Created by gun safety advocates and shooting victims outraged by the questionable influence of the gun lobby in Springfield, G-PAC is the only organization in Illinois working to elect and protect candidates that support reducing gun violence.

Communities and families have already started heading to the polls for early voting leading up to the Primary Election on March 15. About 47 state and county candidates have received the official endorsement by G-PAC.

Despite the fact that the majority of Illinois voters support gun safety legislation, this position is not often reflected in the voting records of the public officials representing them. G-PAC will continue to fight in this election to ensure the passage of a commonsense gun safety agenda that will combat gun violence throughout the state.

“We urge Illinois voters to make their voices heard this year by sending a strong message to elected officials at the ballot box,” said Kathleen Sances, executive director of G-PAC. “All too often, those we have elected to look out for our communities have been looking the other way – putting politics above public safety.”

Endorsements were determined by candidates’ responses to G-PAC’s 2016 Candidate survey with questions regarding their positions on critical gun safety legislation, which included: 

  • Ending the easy access criminals have to guns;
  • Expanding background checks; and
  • Preventing suspected terrorists from obtaining guns 

G-PAC will soon begin to focus resources and political support on select state races where the gun safety issue is critical. A Voter Guide can be found at www.gpacillinois.com.

G-PAC’s 2016 Primary Election Endorsements include: 

ILLINOIS SENATE
Omar Aquino, 2*
Angelica Alfaro, 2*
Patricia Van Pelt, 5
Cristina Castro, 22
Corrine M. Pierog, 25
Laura Murphy, 28
Julie A. Morrison, 29
Christine Benson, 38

ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Theresa Mah, 2*
Alexander “Alex” Acevedo, 2*
Cynthia Soto, 4
Juliana Stratton, 5
Sonya Marie Harper, 6
Emanuel “Chris” Welch, 7
Arthur Turner, 9
Ann M. Williams, 11
Sara Feigenholtz, 12
Kelly M. Cassidy, 14
John C. D’Amico, 15
Lou Lang, 16
Laura Fine, 17
Robyn Gabel, 18
Merry Marwig, 20
Michael J. Madigan, 22
Barbara Flynn Currie, 25
Christian L. Mitchell, 26
Monique D. Davis, 27
Thaddeus Jones, 29
Elgie R. Sims, Jr., 34
Will Guzzardi, 39
Jaime M. Andrade, Jr., 40
Anna Moeller, 43
Cynthia Borbas, 45
Deb Conroy, 46
Martin J. Moylan, 55
Michelle Mussman, 56
Elaine Nekritz, 57
Scott Drury, 58
Angelique Bodine, 69
Kathleen Willis, 77
Stephanie A. Kigowit, 84
Bobby Pritchett, 94
Natalie A. Manley, 98
Carol Ammons, 103
STATE’S ATTORNEY
Kim Foxx

ILLINOIS COMPTROLLER
Susana Mendoza

*Please note that more than one candidate may be endorsed in open races. *

About G-PAC:

G-PAC was founded to counter the political influence of the gun lobby in Springfield. Using highly targeted direct mail and TV designed to elect public officials with the courage to stand up to the gun lobby in Springfield, G-PAC has begun building a coalition of legislators committed to ending the epidemic of gun violence.  With a winning record in the 2014 primary and general elections, the organization will fight to ensure passage of a common sense gun safety agenda. A complete list of Gun Safety Champions can be found at www.gpacillinois.com.

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Rick Ryan

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As the Lake County State’s Attorney, I am honored and humbled every day to lead the fight against crime, and to strive to ensure equal and just treatment under the law. I have been an attorney for twenty-two years – and each of those years has made me a stronger and smarter advocate for people, for ideas, and for the principles that unite us all.

I am so proud to lead an office of 140 dedicated colleagues who serve the public by prosecuting crime, advocating for victims, and planning crime prevention programs. I am also proud to work with hundreds of Lake County police officers on a daily basis to connect with every community and to develop comprehensive, holistic plans to respond to the mental health and economic crisis that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On one particular day, July 4, 2022, I was saddened, inspired, and motivated by the bravery of so many people. We will always stand with the victims and honor the police and other first responders who ran toward the danger. Just as so many heroes that day thought only of themselves, I also witnessed the prosecutors in my office answer the call to serve survivors and their community – even on one of its darkest days.

Every moment that I have been your legal representative, I have worked tirelessly to oversee prosecutions and to implement policies that make my family and my neighbors safer in the short term and in the long term. That is the job of the State’s Attorney: to prosecute, to innovate, and to strategically plan.

I was raised in a small town. My parents are teachers, and from them, I learned that everyone must be treated equally and that America’s sacred mission is to provide a political, economic, and legal system that allows anyone to prosper regardless of the circumstances of their birth. After graduating from Knox College and the University of Chicago Law School, I spent two years at a first-rate civil law firm in Chicago where I learned that hard work and attention to detail on every case mean the difference between success and failure.

With my wonderful wife Stephanie, I am raising my two sons, Sam and Teddy, in Lake County. Nothing is more important to me than my family’s safety and I bring that passion and determination to protect all families with me to work every day.

I joined the Lake County Public Defender’s Office in 2003 and started my own law firm in 2009. From 2003 until 2020, I watched the Lake County legal system fail to prioritize violent crime, prevent wrongful prosecutions, or address racial disparities.

So, in 2019, I decided to run for State’s Attorney so that I could serve our community by improving a local legal system that cared more about covering up its mistakes and biases than uncovering new and innovative ways to help people.

I won the 2020 election, and became the first Democrat to hold this position in 40 years. Bringing in a new party wasn’t as important as ending 40 years of one mindset that had forgotten the people and that had failed to act urgently to develop new strategic plans to prevent crime while also ensuring that each prosecution is smart, moral, and just.

We have followed through on our promises. We have built the first-ever violent crimes unit, increased prosecutors in our domestic violence division, and vastly upgraded our cyber lab. Now, we have top-notch software and personnel to finally keep up with those who would exploit others.

We have been awarded a large federal grant to bring the first ever Human Trafficking Task Force to Lake County. We have deepened our investment in people by bringing in more victim specialists and raising the salaries of many of our prosecutors.

But the work goes on. We must expand our prevention efforts that are starting with the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative launched in 2022. And we know that the opioid crisis touches thousands of lives throughout this country.

I am proud to serve on the Executive Board of the Lake County Opioid Initiative which has been working tirelessly since its founding in 2012 to reverse a devastating trend of increased overdoses. In 2022, our office was part of a national settlement against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

As an attorney of 22 years, I have committed my life to helping people, and I have conducted over 70 jury trials in Lake County, and handled appeals that have culminated in over 20 oral arguments before the appellate court and Supreme Court of Illinois.

I see my time in this office as the next phase of helping a community that I love and where I have chosen to raise my family. In my first term, we have made Lake County safer and fairer through just prosecutions, constitutional policing, and innovative crime prevention policies.