Democratic U.S. Senate candidates cast old arguments to a broad audience last night, airing their squabbles in a televised debate that shed little new light on the candidates or their positions.
Their rehashed, practiced attacks demonstrated that, with less than three weeks to go until the Feb. 2 primary, whoever takes on the Republican nominee will need to fight hard to keep Barack Obama's old seat in Democratic hands.
It was the candidates themselves who identified what Democratic leaders most fear in this race: inexperience, a lack of name recognition and associations with their party's well-publicized involvement in Illinois corruption.
The debate also crystallized what many have known for months: This is a two-man race. And the back-and-forth between state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, the leaders in headlines and fund raising, is reaching fever pitch.
Across the debate, Giannoulias and Hoffman offered little clash on policy positions.
Both said they supported immigration reform that would provide some amnesty to existing undocumented workers. Both supported current troop levels in Afghanistan, although Hoffman opposed a recent surge. And both, predictably, claimed to be the best candidate to focus on jobs.
On the surface, it would have appeared last night that Giannoulias toned down his response to Hoffman's relentless attacks on the treasurer's record. Yet Giannoulias' manner seemed tame only in comparison with his first debate last month.
During that outing, he lashed out at Hoffman by name, accusing him of "hypocrisy" — a puzzling move against a trailing candidate. Giannoulias then underscored an underwhelming performance by skipping a press conference after the forum, shuttling out of the Union League Club before the questions began to flow.
Last night, Giannoulias played it like the front-runner that he is — at least until Hoffman renewed some pointed questions about his record at his family's Broadway Bank and as state treasurer. Giannoulias then went on the attack.
"David Hoffman is in third place. He's based his whole campaign on attacking me," Giannoulias said. He later added, "I know you're trying to make a name for yourself."
Both claims might have been true in December, when a Chicago Tribune poll showed Urban League President Cheryle Jackson in second place — and before the same newspaper endorsed Hoffman in the Democratic race.
Now, Hoffman is a known quantity outside of hometown Chicago. And Democrats Jackson, attorney Jacob Meister and physician Robert Marshall are far behind in media attention, momentum and the money race.
So Giannoulias may still have the lion's share of name recognition, but with Hoffman as a gaffe-free underdog, the treasurer has the most to lose in this race.
Hoffman knows this, and he portrayed his repeated criticisms of Giannoulias as big concerns for Democrats in November.
He said the treasurer's ties to suspect banking practices and troubled college-plan investments will make it difficult for him to defeat the Republican nominee.
"I'm the only candidate who takes the corruption issue off the table," he said.
One thing is sure: If Giannoulias sustains his lead, he can count on his Republican rival to steal a page from Hoffman's playbook.