The Republican candidate for Illinois Attorney General visited several northern Illinois organizations this week. The stop included Opportunity House in Sycamore.
During a stop at the WNIJ studios, Erika Harold says one of her campaign priorities is combating the opioid epidemic in the state. She also says the epidemic is an issue that Attorneys General from multiple states can work on together.
“You don’t want to be reinventing the wheel, and if a problem is national in scope then you want to be able to see how other attorneys general are working together," Harold said. "And so I think when there are ways in which you have common interests and you can pool resources it’s appropriate and prudent to do so."
Harold says she wants to make sure there are sufficient treatment facilities. She also says education is an important tool in combating the problem. If elected, she says she will focus on preventing the use of synthetic opioids. They are a cause of the recent spike in overdoses.
Current Attorney General Lisa Madigan is suing the U.S. Department of Justice for withholding over $6.5 million dollars in grant funding for local law enforcement agencies. Harold agrees the federal government is not justified in withholding those funds.
“Although I think that we have to sue the federal government only when there’s a constitutional issue or Illinois law at stake, I think this is one of those circumstances that warrants it,” Harold said.
Harold says that officers need the money to combat violence in the state.
Harold faces Democrat Kwame Raoul in November.