Despite the best fundraising efforts of Democrats, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Mark Kirk raised nearly twice as much money in the first quarter of 2010 than his rival, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.
Giannoulias raised $1.2 million, according to his campaign, while Kirk, a North Shore congressman, raised $2.2 million. The men are fighting to take over Barack Obama's old seat.
Giannoulias' take marked the Democrats' best fundraising quarter to date. But Kirk's success marks another challenge for the Giannoulias campaign, which is working to improve Giannoulias' image amid disclosures his family' bank may fail. Read more...
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. Read more...
Announcing an independent run for county assessor, retiring Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool today took aim at Cook's Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Berrios, his rival for the post.
"He's in the pocket of the special interests, and that's affecting our pocketbooks," Claypool said.
Claypool pledged that he would not take money from property tax lawyers. News reports have shown how Berrios' campaigns are funded by such attorneys. Read more...
In a lottery that Republicans hope will mirror election results, Cook County Clerk David Orr this morning picked their party to top local ballots for November's general election.
Overseeing a lottery to determine ballot positions, Orr first picked the GOP ticket out of a fishbowl, followed by the Democrats and the Green Party.
The lottery was similar to one held in the fall to determine where primary candidates would appear on the ballot, only this time the choices were narrowed to three. Read more...
Cook commissioners declined to give the county's Health and Hospitals system the ability to tax residents, voting down a proposal that would have made the board more powerful.
Commissioner Earlean Collins, who introduced the measure, said empowering the health system to levy taxes would have helped it become truly independent.
“That way, it takes away all of the problems that people have in their perceptions of Cook County,” Collins said. Giving the health board taxing powers would be “the best way to do this, without all the shackles that come with Cook County, real or imaginary.”
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