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Central Illinois Gazette

There goes Julie Hamos' ambitions

Posted by: Tom Kacich

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 12:25 PM

Lisa Madigan's announcement today -- that she'll run again for attorney general -- calls to mind this story from the April Champaign County Democrats' spring dinner at which state Rep. Julie Hamos said she was looking at running for AG.

URBANA – A veteran Democratic state representative from Evanston said Sunday she is interested in running for attorney general – if incumbent Lisa Madigan moves on to run for another office.

"I am looking ahead to the 2010 election, and I believe there is going to be a lot of movement at the statewide level," said Julie Hamos . "Many of them have already indicated that they are going to be moving on and running for something else.

"And while we don't yet know what's going to happen, I can tell you that Lisa Madigan, our attorney general, has given a job description to that office which is advocate for the people.

"It's not a prosecutor office. It's an advocacy office. It's about consumer issues. It's about protecting women, children and seniors. It's about crime victim issues. It's about preserving the environment. I have a passion for that office, if Lisa Madigan decides that she will be moving on."

Following her speech to about 150 people at the spring dinner of the Champaign County Democratic Party at the Laborers' Hall, Hamos, 60, said she has been traveling the state, speaking to Democrats, and is looking at other offices as well but that the attorney general's post is the one for which she has "a great passion."

A native of Budapest, Hungary, whose family moved to the United States when she was 7 years old, Hamos came to Illinois in the 1970s and set up a public interest law firm to advocate for low-income families.