Illinois Senate Race: Alexi Giannoulias & Mark Kirk Enter Eleventh Hour

Barack Obama was in Chicago over the weekend, helping to rally support for Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, who is vying for the president's former seat.

It's not the first time Obama has turned his attention to hometown politics. He's made two other campaign appearances for the Democrat -- Vice President Joe Biden has been there as well. Earlier in the week, Giannoulias also got a high-profile visit from the previous Democratic president, Bill Clinton. It's all part of what is becoming a down-to-the-wire effort by Democrats trying to close the tightest gaps in key Senate races around the nation -- and prevent Republicans from hoisting the emblematic token of the president's former seat.

The race for Illinois Senator, a position being vacated by Roland Burris -- who was appointed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich after Obama's election -- is looking ready to be a cliffhanger on Tuesday, and its possession by either side of the aisle is sure to affect party equations for overall control of the Senate.

According to HuffPost Pollster's latest analysis of the race, Republican Mark Kirk has a single point lead over Giannoulias, though a recent Fox News poll shows Kirk with a four-point cushion.

Giannoulias's numbers have consistently struggled from Democratic defectors in the blue state turning to Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones in the current anti-incumbent, anti-establishment climate, a trend that Kirk is trying to utilize in his last-minute public campaign efforts by turning down the partisan rhetoric in a plea for undecided and independent votes.

Democrats, on the other hand, seem to have given up on extracting Republican and independent ballots, instead turning to a "get out the vote" strategy that they hope will invigorate their base.

The Chicago Sun-Tribune's Lynn Sweet reported over the weekend from the Obama rally:

"There is no more persuading Republicans or independents to vote Democratic," state Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) told me at the rally. It's about getting out the base vote.

Such news, however, comes only days after powerful advocacy groups who had supported Kirk in his prior elections decided to renounce the Republican in favor of Giannoulias.

The home stretch in Illinois has become defined by its negative slant, accelerated in part by massive outpourings of cash by third-party groups. $45 million has been spent on political ads since September in the Chicago TV market alone, with negative commercials focusing on things such as Mark Kirk's embellished military record
and Alexi Giannoulias's ties to his family bank's questionable history.

Comments

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

02:15 PM on 11/02/2010

Why you should vote Republican
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ege_RBhh37A
"Vote Republican" by Roy Zimmerman

[kimbanyc]

01:31 PM on 11/02/2010

VOTE OUT ALL TEA POTTY REPUBLICAN'TS AND THEIR PET BLUE LAP DOGS!!

[joeby22]

12:23 PM on 11/02/2010

If anyone votes for Kick or any other Republican, then sadly the voters in this country are truly the problem.

[kimbanyc]

11:59 AM on 11/02/2010

WHAT THE DEMS GOT DONE IN THE LAST 23 MONTHS! One hell of a lot

-Fair Pay Act for Women

-Credit Card Controls; preventing gouging; issuance to those who
cannot handle them

-Increased Regulation of Tobacco to Reduce Nicotine and Increase Warnings

-Hate Crime Bill (sexual orientation)

-Children's Health Insurance Expansion

-College Loans Program with No Middle Man (more money for students)

-Massive expansion of Americorps (young people in community service)

-Cash for Clunkers and the rest of the Auto Corp Bailout

-Economic Recovery Act (largest tax cut in history, huge investment in
clean energy, education, guarantee of essential services to states,
thousands of infrastructure projects)

-Affordable Health Care Act (tackling access, costs and regulations)

-Financial Reform Bill of Wall Street/Ban­ks/Consume­r Protection

-Largest Expansion of Veteran Services in 30 years through budget
consolidation, more home services, more coverage for women vets

-25 Middle Class Tax Cuts

-Largest Land Conservation Bill in 25 years

-Creation of a National Consumer Protection Agency

AND SHRANK THE FEDERAL DEFICIT.

The Dems chose to expend the political capital garnered in 2006/2008.
They chose not to campaign but to govern. They chose policy over
politics.

They chose short term political losses for long term policy gains
BECAUSE they chose to serve the American people.

I wonder if the GOP will be able to make the same claim in 2 years?

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

12:21 PM on 11/02/2010

I don't suppose we have a list of Georgy's accomplishments we could use for comparison. I know they've been posted before.

[David Bledsoe]

12:57 PM on 11/02/2010

Here's W's list:

Invaded Sovreign Country
Committed war crimes
Ruined world economy
Ruined America's reputation
Ignored New Orleans

[scorpioleidy]

11:22 AM on 11/02/2010

I cast my vote for Alexi bright & early this morning. I'll celebrate later when I watch the returns come in ... and see that smirk disappear from lying Kirk's face!

[MOHABA]

10:42 AM on 11/02/2010

I'm sure the mobsters will be voting in droves for Alexi. It will be a much bigger payoff for them to have representation in the Senate.

[JohnJames]

11:03 AM on 11/02/2010

You probably think that Giannoulias is an Italian name. It's Greek. Anyway, the failed bank belonged to his parents and no criminal wrong doing has ever been alleged. Some businesses do fail in the rough and tumble free market. Do Illinois Republicans, of all people, need to be reminded of this fact? Vote Today. Vote Giannoulias and Quinn.

[MOHABA]

11:31 AM on 11/02/2010

No I don't think the name is Italian. I'm aware it is Greek. Thanks anyway,

The bank did make loans to mobsters and Alexi was involved. He was the banks loan officer for crying out loud. The bank needed a bailout from the gov't. This isn't just run of the mill rough and tumble free market issues.

He's a crook...but apparently that's OK since he's a democrat. That's just the way it works in IL isn't it.

[Monk2001]

12:04 PM on 11/02/2010

Yeah.. ALL those mobsters. All 25 of them.

While the racists, easily manipulated, selfish and poorly educated turn out in droves for Liar Kirk and "No Idea" Brady. You probably also voted against Lisa Madigan. Who is by far the single best candidate on the Illinois ballot for either party.

She'll be Senator some day.

[DemCentrist]

10:29 AM on 11/02/2010

These election has become a referendum on the WH. Seats like Reids in Nevada or like O's vacated seat are trophys for the GOP should they swing right. Should be interesting to watch the results come in tonight.

[kimbanyc]

09:15 AM on 11/02/2010

Remember how the Republicans turned a record budget surplus into a
record budget deficit and spent trillions of dollars on the war in
Iraq.

This is the party that preached fiscal discipline and then cut taxes
in time of war.

Remember that Republicans consider tax dollars spent on American
citizens to be a waste of taxpayer money.

This is the party that still wants to put the torch to Social Security
and Medicare.

Remember that Republicans believe in state rights UNLESS a state
passes a law that doesn't coincide with their narrow point of view.

This is the party that wanted to add a "Marriage Protection Amendment"
to the U.S. Constitution.

Remember how Republican ears are deaf to the screams of the people yet
hear the whispers of Big Business.

This is a party that, given a choice between Abraham Lincoln and
Ronald Reagan, would choose Ronald Reagan in a heartbeat.

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=QlBOv8m_X­a8

On November 2, 2010 - REMEMBER!

[Libleet]

08:49 AM on 11/02/2010

DEMOCRATS GET OUT THERE AND VOTE. Illinois is one of the states where we have a chance to retain, but to do so we need to turn out in BIG numbers.

[hopeisalive]

08:29 AM on 11/02/2010

Seems strange that Mr. Kirk talks about being a Washington outsider, yet he's been in the House for a number of terms and Mr. Giannoulias who has served only in Illinois and not Washington. Say anything to get elected yet, over the past two years, Mr. Kirk has done little to help my State and, most importantly, our Country.

[JohnJames]

11:12 AM on 11/02/2010

Kirk has a long record of "saying anything" with no regard whatsoever to its veracity. Maybe being a closet case (even his ex-wife when asked wouldn't explicitly deny it) helped to set the pattern.

[scorpioleidy]

11:26 AM on 11/02/2010

Talk about say anything - Kirk is running an ad calling himself "Mr. Independent". What a cr0ck! I just hope people see through his l!es and remember what it was like in this country from 2000-2008 ... and what party was responsible for where we are now.

[David Bledsoe]

01:02 PM on 11/02/2010

He's also in the closet on some other personal issues.

[VOTER]

07:19 AM on 11/02/2010

Alexi has helped keep jobs in Illinois while LIAR Kirk has done just the opposite.

Kirk has voted against Illinoisans and Veterans.

VOTE FOR ILLINOISANS BEST INTERESTS BY
VOTING DEMOCRATIC!

VOTE FOR ALEXI AND QUINN!

[Toa Reap]

06:10 AM on 11/02/2010

AG will win in a squeaker!

[Guest211]

06:13 AM on 11/02/2010

agreed. the political machine in cook county will ensure it.

[psych101]

06:50 AM on 11/02/2010

As opposed to Karl Rove and the Republican Party political machine pushing for Krik. All sides have political forces supporting their Party's candidate. Its a fallacy to imply one is corrupt while the other is not.

[VOTER]

07:23 AM on 11/02/2010

I recently moved from IL and from Kirk's 10th District .
My husband and I missed our opportunity to vote in this Election by 36 hours.
Ugh!!!
Today, we will be back in our old neighborhood. We are going to stop by our
former Polling Place to make sure our names have been removed from the
Voting Rolls.
The Kirkster could have easily "misremembered" checking on the validity of
voting in his own District 10.
Hmmmmm