Giannoulias Meets WH Advisors
Treas. Alexi Giannoulias (D) was in DC today for a WH celebration of Greek Independence Day, but the main event was a meeting beforehand with WH advisors David Axelrod and Patrick Gaspard, who know a little something about IL politics.
"My meetings today at the White House have been very productive, and the support of the President is a great asset in a state where 64 percent of voters approve of the job he is doing," said Giannoulias in a statement released today. "While my opponent opposes the White House agenda every chance he gets, I want to help the president change the broken system here in Washington."
Giannoulias, who is in a tight race with Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10), has struggled to move beyond the financial issues of his family's company, Broadway Bank. The bank must raise $85M in capital funds by April 24th to avoid closure.
Kirk has seized on the bank's troubles and accuses Giannoulias of issuing risky loans during his tenure at Broadway Bank. Kirk often repeats President Obama's statement before the MA SEN special: "Bankers don't need another vote in the U.S. Senate."
Giannoulias met with IL media last week to answer questions about the controversy. He said that it is likely that the bank will fail, but one should place most of that blame on the national economic climate. Giannoulias has said that he will do whatever he can give to save the bank, which includes putting any tax refund he might receive from the federal government right bank into the bank for recapitalization.
The WH meeting is a step towards shifting the conversation back to national politics. The IL SEN race is a reversal of a pattern seen in other states. Elsewhere, vulnerable Dems are proclaiming their independence, while the GOPer attempts to tie them to the national Dems.
But Giannoulias would rather talk about national issues like jobs and health care, while Kirk wants to keep it about IL corruption. Both camps agree that Obama is still extremely popular in IL, with approval ratings over 60%. With a heavy voter registration disadvantage, Kirk will need Dem votes, and will have to be very delicate about negatively linking Giannoulias and Obama.
The Giannoulias camp believes the Broadway Bank business will be old news by the November election, but Kirk's campaign makes the case that any association with the ailing financial institution will be bad politics for the Dem nominee.
Giannoulias may also be helped by his ticket mate, Gov. Pat Quinn (D). In the IL GOV race, Quinn will face conservative state Sen. Bill Brady (R), who is already being called a polarizing and weak candidate.