Sen. Rachelle Crowe Chosen as U.S. Attorney
Sen. Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) speaking on the Senate floor earlier this month. She was nominated Friday to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
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The White House has chosen Sen. Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
The Southern District encompasses 38 counties in the southern third of the state, including Madison and St. Clair Counties, as well as Effingham, Mt. Vernon, and Carbondale south to the southern tip of the state.
Crowe has represented the 56th District in the Metro East region of the state since 2019, winning an election to replace longtime Sen. Bill Haine. Crowe had served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Madison County for 12 years before joining the Senate.
She has positioned herself as a moderate, especially on criminal issues. Crowe also chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her Madison County based district has trended slightly more conservative in recent years. Her redrawn district left her considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate this fall. President Trump won her new district by 3 percentage points in 2020 while Governor Pritzker won the district by about 8 points in 2018.
When reached Friday afternoon, Crowe told The Illinoize she was unable to discuss the appointment in depth. But she issued a statement.
“I’m honored to be nominated for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, and I’m looking forward to the nomination process,” she said.
It isn’t clear yet what the nomination will have on the June or November election. It will likely be at least a few months before a Senate vote. Crowe could withdraw after the primary and be replaced by party leaders for the November election. It also isn’t clear when Crowe may resign her seat. But Crowe said her timeline is “uncertain.”
