Publications & Sites 
Sheriff Curran mulls run for attorney general
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran. | Special to Sun-Times Media
Updated: December 18, 2012 1:48PM
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is seriously considering a run for Illinois Attorney General in 2014, he confirmed Wednesday.
Curran, a Libertyville Republican, has been meeting with citizens around the state and says he intends to run in the GOP primary in about 15 months.
The sheriff said his background as a federal and state prosecutor and sheriff of one of Illinois’ largest and most-diverse counties gives him a unique perspective on the state’s top law enforcement office.
“Our state is awash in crime and corruption, and we need strong law enforcement leadership in the Attorney General’s Office,” Curran said. “We can do better.”
Curran, 49, has been Lake County sheriff since December 2006. He was elected as a Democrat but switched parties and was re-elected in 2010 with 63 percent of the vote.
Before being elected sheriff, he served as a prosecutor in the attorney general’s office from 1998 to 2002 in units targeting gangs and sexually violent persons. He also handled civil cases representing State Police and state corrections personnel. He also served as a senior felony prosecutor in the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office and as a lawyer in private practice handling criminal and civil litigation.
During his time in the attorney general’s office, Curran also was cross-designated as a federal prosecutor, advising federal agents and co-prosecuting federal criminal cases.
Curran said he plans to travel the state in coming months to put together a grassroots campaign operation, saying he will make a more formal announcement for the post sometime in 2013.
With Curran seeking state office, the sheriff’s spot is expected to draw a number of candidates in both parties to the 2014 ballot.
