Our View: Lisa Madigan for Illinois attorney general

Paul Schimpf, the Republican challenger in the race to unseat incumbent Attorney General Lisa Madigan, thinks the AG’s office should focus more on fighting corruption that’s rampant in state government.

On that point, we agree with him.

Madigan, a Democrat who was first elected to the post in 2002, has done next to nothing to root out government corruption in a state where it’s aplenty. The daughter of powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, Lisa Madigan has been a champion of consumers and open government, however. She’s taken on ComEd, cellphone companies, for-profit colleges and mortgage lenders all on behalf of consumers.

Schimpf, a retired Marine prosecutor, is a political neophyte who isn’t getting much support from the state GOP. Libertarian Ben Koyl also is on the ballot.

We endorse Madigan, but encourage her to take her opponent’s advice on fighting corruption.