Candidate Kwame Raoul, Democrat for attorney general

The man who wants to be Illinois’ next attorney general has a mean jump shot, would rather listen than talk, has survived cancer and draws inspiration from his own life experiences when taking a stand on key issues. One of those experiences profoundly affected his life and political outlook.

“I recall about seven years ago a 13-year-old boy was shot right across the street from my home and my son was also 13 at the time,” said 53-year-old Kwame Raoul, a Democrat who is currently a state senator from Chicago. “My daughter has witnessed somebody put a gun to someone’s head. I have personal friends who have lost kids to gun violence within a mile of my home.”

Arne Duncan has been friends with Raoul for more than 40 years.

“Kwame called me right when that happened and I’ve probably never heard him more upset and scared,” said Duncan, who was U.S. Secretary of Education for President Barack Obama for seven years. “It shook him to his core and I literally remember where I was standing when he called me.

“When this happens directly in front of your house and there is yellow tape everywhere and you’re trying to figure out where your teenage son is, it doesn’t get more real than that,” Duncan said. “So this issue is extraordinarily personal for Kwame.”

Read more: http://illinoistimes.com/article-20086-candidate-kwame.html