Alvarez loses Gutierrez endorsement in Cook County state's attorney race

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In the Democratic race for Cook County state's attorney, a prominent Hispanic politician changed his endorsement Tuesday and a series of new campaign ads were released, including one that's designed to mold the image of incumbent Anita Alvarez.

Outcry over the police shooting of Laquan McDonald instantly turned the primary race for state's attorney into a hotly-contested election and convinced some longtime supporters of incumbent Anita Alvarez to switch sides to her opponent Kim Foxx.

"There was 14 months in which she didn't do anything. Fourteen months? It took me - it took all of us - 15 seconds to see what happened," said U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Chicago and southwest suburbs.

The endorsement is potentially significant because Gutierrez is one of the most influential Latino politicians in the state, and he is pulling his endorsement of a prominent Hispanic candidate.

"Whether or not that translates into votes in the Latino community is questionable because Gutierrez doesn't necessarily have not much of a get-out-the-vote operation," ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington said.

The incumbent has begun running television ads promoting her Chicago roots and prosecutions of crooked law enforcement officers, making no mention of Laquan McDonald. She also has an ad accusing Kim Foxx of misrepresenting her experience as a prosecutor.

"It is a dishonest smear by my opponent. She is trying to distract from her own shameful record," Foxx said.

Foxx has her own ad focusing on Alvarez's handling of the McDonald case running on the internet.

The third candidate in the race, Donna More, attacks Alvarez and touts her own credentials in an ad running on cable stations.

"I have one candidate, the incumbent, who has been a serial screw-up," More said.

Washington said many protesters called on Anita Alvarez to resign, but it's unclear whether the fervor will translate into voting her out of office.