Mark C. Curran Jr. (born April 4, 1963) is an American attorney who served as

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Lake County, Illinois Lake County is situated in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it the third-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat ...

from 2006 to 2018. He was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee in the 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois, losing to incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin has served as the Senate Dem ...

Early life and education

Curran graduated from

Loyola Academy Loyola Academy is a private, Catholic, co-educational college preparatory high school run by the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus in Wilmette, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, and in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago ...

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in business from

Spring Hill College Spring Hill College is a private, Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile. Along with being the oldest college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college in the ...

, and a Juris Doctor from the

Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

Chicago-Kent College of Law Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school affiliated with the Illinois Institute of Technology. It is the second oldest law school in the state of Illinois. It is ranked 91st among U.S. law schools, and its trial advocacy program is ranked in ...

. Curran attended law enforcement and leadership courses at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Career

Curran began his career as a state prosecutor in Lake County in 1990, rising to Senior Felony Prosecutor. He then served as a prosecutor with the

Illinois Attorney General The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, the attorney ...

from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, Curran went into private practice, concentrating in civil and criminal litigation.

2006 election for sheriff

Curran won the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

for the position of

on March 21, 2006, and won the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

for that position in November 2006, defeating incumbent Gary Del Re. In his elections and in his role as Sheriff, Curran has called for prison reform in Illinois, in which he includes a call for faith-based programming in prisons. In August 2008, Curran made national news when he voluntarily spent a week in the Lake County Jail. On December 15, 2008, Curran announced that he was switching from the Democratic to Republican Party, calling his decision a "matter of conscience", stating that the scandals of Democratic Governor

Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...

played a role in his decision.

2018 election for sheriff

After apparent defeat in the 2018 general election by a margin of 137 votes, by challenger John Idleburg, Curran requested and lost a recount. The day following the announcement of this result, Curran announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the 2020 Illinois U.S. Senate Election.

2020 U.S. Senate election

Curran won the 2020 Republican primary for an Illinois seat in the U.S. Senate. His vote in the March 17, 2020, primary election was 41% of the votes cast, against four other candidates. The general election was held in November 2020, with Curran standing unsuccessfully against incumbent

and fellow challenger Willie Wilson.

2022 Illinois Supreme Court election

Curran ran for the 2nd district of the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

, which was redrawn in 2021 to encompass Kane County, Lake County, McHenry County,

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missouri ...

, and Kendall County counties. He lost the election 55–45 to Democrat Elizabeth Rochford.

References

External links

Lake County Sheriff's Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Mark 1963 births American prosecutors Candidates in the 2020 United States elections Illinois Democrats Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Illinois lawyers Illinois Republicans Illinois sheriffs Living people People from Libertyville, Illinois Spring Hill College alumni