Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin will seek a second term, saying he prioritizes Knox County residents over partisan politics and wants to continue the work he’s started.
In a release announcing his reelection bid, Karlin said serving as state’s attorney has been the “greatest privilege” of his life.
He is a former assistant state’s attorney and private attorney with 30 years of experience who also served on the Galesburg city council.
The Democrat won the seat as the county’s top prosecutor in 2020, defeating Republican Brian Kerr with 52% of the vote.
Karlin said in his first term he's worked to increase transparency in the office by holding monthly office hours, and also appears in court daily rather than solely serving as an administrator.
Karlin said he’s committed to continuing other work he started in his first term, including a court diversion program for non-violent offenders and a treatment-focused approach to crimes stemming from addiction or mental illness.
Meanwhile, Karlin said he’s secured significant convictions for violent offenders and is strongly opposed to probation for gun crimes, saying such leniency “sends a dangerous message” by downplaying the severity of the crimes and not adequately protecting innocent people.
He said he works with both Republican and Democratic leaders in “hyper-partisan times” and prioritizes Knox County residents over politics.
Last year, Karlin sued Governor JB Pritzker over the criminal justice reform bill known as the SAFE-T Act, saying it was ambiguous and contradicted other laws, and would be difficult to enforce.
Karlin succeeded John Pepmeyer in the state’s attorney’s office, who was also a Democrat – as was Pepmeyer’s predecessor, Paul Mangieri.
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