Giannoulias joins Senate race - Treasurer plays up immigrant roots, says he stands with working people

Giannoulias joins Senate race - Treasurer plays up immigrant roots, says he stands with working people
BY ABDON M. PALLASCH apallasch@suntimes.com
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times
July 27, 2009
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1686373,CST-NWS-senate27.article


With plentiful references to his "friend, mentor and inspiration," President Obama, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

"A few years ago, Barack Obama inspired me to run for public office," Giannoulias told a crowd of 200 at the Hilton Chicago on Sunday.

Despite Giannoulias' closeness to Obama -- the president tried to shoot hoops with Giannoulias the morning of every major primary during his candidacy, for good luck -- the White House tried to recruit Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to run for the Senate seat. Asked if the White House had concerns about his candidacy, Giannoulias said, "I think the president and I will be just fine."

Will Obama be endorsing Giannoulias in the primary for his old seat?

"You'd have to ask the president that," Giannoulias said.

At age 33, just three years past the constitutional minimum age to run for senator, and with just one term as state treasurer under his belt, is Giannoulias experienced enough to be a senator?

"They said the same thing about Barack Obama," Giannoulias said.

Giannoulias said his parents arrived here from Greece with "nothing -- they had no money, they had no education, they didn't speak the language."

But his parents thrived.

"They started a small business, a community bank that has helped thousands of others fulfill the promise of America," Giannoulias said.

That bank, Broadway Bank, has brought Giannoulias some controversy over the years because of loans it made to organized crime-linked figures and convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko. But Giannoulias himself did not make the loans and ended his ties to the family bank before becoming treasurer.

State Rep. Susana Mendoza said Sunday that Giannoulias' dealing with banks as state treasurer shows he is on the side of the people.

When Wells Fargo threatened to cut off the line of credit on Des Plaines-based Hartmarx, the president's tailor, Giannoulias threatened to yank the $8 billion in state funds it managed, Giannoulias told the crowd. The bank relented, and the workers' jobs were saved.

One of those workers, Ruby Sims, introduced Giannoulias on Sunday, though she could not pronounce his name and kept calling him "Alexius."

Merchandise Mart manager Chris Kennedy and Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson also are considering runs for the Senate seat. On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk announced a week ago.

Choice for replacement faces well-funded challenger
With Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias officially leaving his post, his plan to turn his office over to his second-in-command, Robin Kelly, has run into a big challenge from a political neophyte.

Kip Kirkpatrick, a Northwestern University basketball player-turned-investor, stormed into the treasurer's race last week with a disclosure that he had raised $400,000, not counting a $100,000 loan from himself.

That dwarfs the $72,000 Kelly reported raising for the same period.

Kelly, 53, is a former state representative Giannoulias met during Barack Obama's Senate campaign. She represented the south suburbs. A New York native, she came to Illinois to attend Bradley University in Peoria, then got her Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University. She announced support last week from 43 elected officials led by Giannoulias and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Kirkpatrick, 37, is a Kentucky native who achieved success with his Water Street Health Care Partners after working at First Chicago. He says his finance know-how equips him to be treasurer.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Dan Rutherford is the only major candidate to announce so far.

Abdon M. Pallasch