Lawyer who lives in Iowa seeks election as Illinois state's attorney
Jack Schwartz lives in Iowa. But because he is licensed to practice law in Illinois, he is eligible to seek election in Illinois as a top county prosecutor, a state official says.
That’s exactly what Schwartz has done, filing to run for election as Rock Island County State’s Attorney in the March primary, WQAD reports. Schwartz, who lives in Davenport, Iowa, is a Democrat, as is incumbent state’s attorney John McGehee.
Schwartz’s petition is being challenged by the Democratic party in Rock Island because of his Iowa residency. The county election board will meet on Monday to consider the objection.
“We feel Jack Schwartz is asking residents of Rock Island County to do something he can not do for himself, which is vote,” local Democratic party chairman Doug House told WQAD. “We don’t feel he’s a qualified candidate.”
However, “there is not a requirement for states attorneys to be a resident of Illinois,” Brent Davis, who works for State Board of Elections in Springfield, told the station.
See also:
QCOnline: “McGehee assesses first year as state’s attorney”
