Kim Foxx, a candidate in the Cook County state's attorney race, picked up a few more endorsements Wednesday as her biggest opponent, incumbent Anita Alvarez, struggles under the weight of the backlash after the release of the dashcam video showing the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald last week.
Ald. John Arena, Sen. Daniel Biss, Ald. Leslie Hairston, former Cook County Board President Bobbi Steele and Ald. Scott Waguespack were all scheduled to attend Foxx's endorsement event Wednesday to offer their support and to urge policy reform. These supporters add to the growing list of endorsements, which includes the major labor union SEIU Local 73, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Foxx has received a leg-up in her election campaign in recent days as Alvarez came under fire for the 13 months it took her office to charge Officer Jason Van Dyke with first-degree murder for shooting McDonald to death in October 2014. Charges were filed last Tuesday, the same day the dashcam video showing the shooting was released to the public.
Riding on the wave of criticism against Alvarez and calls for her resignation, Foxx and Donna More, another challenger, have released statements decrying Alvarez's role in the lengthy investigation and demanding justice for McDonald's family.
Despite the harsh criticism and demands for her resignation, Alvarez has so far stood by her decisions throughout the investigation and defended the process her office used. She has not given any indication that she plans step down.
"I am a professional prosecutor and I am not driven by politics," Alvarez said in a statement Monday. "I will not be bullied by politicians who do not have a full understanding of the facts of this investigation. I offer no apologies for enlisting the FBI to investigate Laquan's murder because obviously the Chicago Police Department could not investigate themselves in this case. And I certainly do not apologize for conducting a meticulous and thorough investigation to build the strongest possible First Degree Murder case against Officer Van Dyke. "
Alvarez will face Foxx and More, who are both former prosecutors, in the March primary.
