Republican challenger Rick Amato won the race for DeKalb County State’s Attorney against incumbent Richard Schmack.
Amato had about 60 percent of the vote. He says he is humbled by the support.
Amato says he has been in the area since he was a student in the mid-1990s and previously served as assistant state’s attorney for the county.
“Now, with having two young children and seeing how things are going in our county, I wanted to make a difference and serve our community, serve our victims, serve our law enforcement to do better and make it a better place to live,” Amato said.
Illinois state representative Bob Pritchard was also at the newly elected state’s attorney’s election party at the DeKalb Moose Lodge. He says he thinks Amato has done a good job outlining how he would address crime and drug issues in DeKalb County.
Pritchard retains his seat. He ran unopposed.