* If you missed last night’s ABC7 Democratic US Senate debate you can click here or watch below…
The Sun-Times has very good coverage…
Hoffman lit into Giannoulias as soon as the debate started, saying, “The insider candidate Alexi Giannoulias has held two jobs for short periods of time, one as a banker for his family’s bank where he made high-risk loans to mobsters and (convicted influence peddler) Tony Rezko, and as the state treasurer where he failed to protect the people’s money.”
Giannoulias fought back, however…
“David Hoffman is in third place. He’s based his whole campaign on attacking me. I understand that. It’s politics,” Giannoulias, the front-runner in the Feb. 2 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate said, staring straight ahead and never looking at Hoffman. “He talks about corruption and Blagojevich and Daley, but what he doesn’t talk about is jobs.”
Four of the five candidates refused to answer a question about their weaknesses, according to the CS-T.
More…
Hoffman laughed off a question of whether a scathing report he issued just weeks before he left his Inspector General post blasting Mayor Daley’s controversial deal to sell off the city’s parking meters was designed to launch his political career.
Issuing a report blasting a powerful elected official is not a conventional way to launch a political campaign, Hoffman said.
But Meister used the question to tee off on Meister again, saying, “I don’t understand where he says he blew the whistle on anything. It was the Sun-Times that blew the whistle three months before his report ever came out. He didn’t stop it. He didn’t do anything.”
Tribune…
“There have been rumbles that David Hoffman had always set himself up for a political campaign,” Giannoulias said. “Just a few months ago, he wanted to run for the attorney general’s office. Lisa Madigan decided to stay put, so he shifted to the United States Senate. He talks about corruption and Blagojevich and (Mayor Richard) Daley. But what he doesn’t talk about is jobs.”
“I’ve always wondered about that,” said candidate Robert Marshall, a Burr Ridge radiologist, to Hoffman. “If you want to clean up corruption, you ought to stay in Illinois.”
Chicago attorney Jacob Meister regularly went after Hoffman. He contended Hoffman sought to use Daley machine-like tactics to try exclude him from the debate and sought to talk over his head when the former inspector general said he was the only candidate that prevents Republicans from using a corruption issue against them.
And…
Seeking a middle-ground was Cheryle Jackson, former president of the Chicago Urban League and a former Blagojevich spokeswoman, who said people are more interested in jobs than political fights. Still, she indicated that in working for Blagojevich, she was no different from the “millions of Illinoisans” who voted for him and had been duped.
* Meanwhile, in other campaign news, both the Sun-Times and the Tribune strongly endorsed Toni Preckwinkle for county board president.
…ADDING… Sen. Bill Brady lit into Republican gubernatorial opponents Andy McKenna and Jim Ryan in a recent press release…
…Last month Mr. McKenna refused to rule out the possibility of a tax increase. Yet, days before he launched his latest television commercial, he signed a pledge to not raise taxes, the same pledge I have consistently supported.
We don’t need more doubletalk. Which is it, Mr. McKenna? And why won’t you explain your switch in positions to the voters of Illinois?
Jim Ryan, another of my opponents, also doesn’t like to talk about his close connection with Stuart Levine, who contributed nearly $800,000 to Mr. Ryan’s previous campaign and who has now pleaded guilty in the Blagojevich corruption scandal.
The citizens of Illinois deserve candidates who are honest with them, who show up at candidate forums and are willing to answer the tough questions voters have. They need to know where the candidates stand. Silence is not an answer.
Ryan told me this week that Brady’s attacks were amusing because Brady asked for Ryan’s endorsement before Ryan got into the race. Apparently, Stu Levine didn’t mean much to Brady back then.
* Other campaign stories…
* Opponents attack Olson’s finances in DuPage GOP race: Both state senators attacked Olson for accepting campaign donations from food vendor Aramark while voting in 2007 and 2008 on a $1 million contract to provide meals at the county jail for a year. The contract eventually went to Minnesota-based A’viands Food & Services Management.
* Marin: Election? What Election?
* Oops: Cook County Democrats forget Jimmy Carter in new ad
* Candidates skipping debates as primary looms
* Flier claims plot to oust Stroger
* With election looming, Stroger vows to cut costs of county government
* Why Claypool Isn’t Running For Board President
* The GOP alternative: Keats
* GOP candidates cite background in Board of Review race
* Cheryle Jackson Senate race: Candidate hopes appeal to pocketbook issues will overcome fundraising struggles, links to Gov. Rod Blagojevich
* Senate, governor candidates to debate at SIUC
* GOP gubernatorial hopefuls to debate again tonight
* GOP gubernatorial candidate Andrzejeweski visits region
* Penny Pullen explains endorsement of McKenna
* Hynes pushes FOIA angle on prisoner-release criticism
* Experience makes Kelly best treasurer choice for Democrats
* Topinka is best comptroller choice for Republicans
* Krislov in Democratic race for comptroller
* 8th District hopefuls split on abortion ban
* House District 59 candidates voice opinions on Medicare
* Michels, Lauzen, Hatcher report donations
* Candidates split on Kane County pay issues
* GOP candidates square off at Huntley forum