Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias criticized Republican opponent Mark Kirk today, poking fun at Kirk's attempt to highlight problems at Giannoulias' family's bank as part of a one-trick campaign.
"He has campaigned on one thing and one thing only: Broadway Bank," Giannoulias said this afternoon. "Just about every sentence ... is a noun, a verb, and 'Broadway Bank.'"
Kirk's campaign spokesman, Eric Elk, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His campaign released a new video today about the state treasurer's attempt to "downplay" problems at the bank.
But Giannoulias' latest public appearance, before members of the City Club of Chicago, marks the candidate's recognition that the bank's woes aren't going away.
Giannoulias has been visiting with members of the media, including major state newspapers' editorial boards, answering questions about his past at the failing bank. In today's speech, he sought to turn Kirk's signature offensive ploy against the Republican.
Broadway Bank, one of the many banks that have struggled during a national recession, has become a growing focus in Illinois politics since it came under a consent order from state and federal regulators in January.
Giannoulias' Democratic primay opponent, David Hoffman, tried to use the consent order as evidence of poor financial management by Giannoulias, the state treasurer who once served as a vice president at the bank.
Now in the general election, Giannoulias could face further obstacles stemming from the bank's problems.
The bank must come up with millions in capital this month or risk a federal takeover -- an event that would undoubtedly damage Giannoulias' reputation as a financial steward.
Yet in his speech, Giannoulias portrayed attacks at his family's bank as an evasion of the core issues at stake during his campaign for national office.
"That's why he's obsessed with talking instead about Broadway Bank and sensationalized stories about former clients and campaign contributors. This isn't a surprise," Giannoulias said. "It's typical Washington politics. It's not leadership. But it's classic Kirk."
"At some point," he later told reporters, "we'd like to elevate this debate."
Giannoulias has long tried to portray Kirk, who has a reputation as a moderate, as a right-wing obstructionist who has opposed President Barack Obama strictly for political ends.
A recurrent example is Kirk's pledge to lead the repeal of the national health care reform law.
"This image out there that Mark Kirk is a moderate is an absolute farse," Giannoulias told reporters. "It's just not true."
Still, Illinois voters seem to be gravitating toward the Republican. A recent survey from Public Policy Polling shows Kirk leading by four points.
Giannoulias isn't in the fundraising lead, either. He said his campaign will release quarterly results tomorrow, and he called it "a record quarter."
But he admitted that the funds raised were less than Kirk's, attributing the slack to his promise not to take money from corporate political action committees and federal lobbyists.
Asked whether any circumstances would lead him to back off from that pledge, given his trailing position in fundraising, he said "no."