SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Former Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias won the Democratic nomination and will face Illinois Rep. Dan Brady in the race to succeed Secretary of State Jesse White.
White is the closest thing to unbeatable as we've ever seen in Illinois politics. He's won every election he ever ran in -- and by wide margins. So, when the 87-year-old steps aside at the end of his term, Republicans see an opening to win a statewide office, but Democrats want to hold on to it.
The secretary of state oversees 21 departments and about 4,000 people. The office maintains official state records and the state seal and is also responsible for issuing driver's licenses and registering vehicles. Illinois is one of two states where the secretary of state's office is responsible for driver services.
Candidates
Republican
The two GOP contenders were Dan Brady, a member of the Illinois House, and John Milhiser, a prosecutor.
Milhiser scored the big money from Illinois' richest man, Ken Griffin, while Brady scored a big list of endorsements from local lawmakers who got to know him along the way in his 22-year career in Springfield.
"Unfortunately, this is an insider's game where you have people that are career politicians, they have all those connections," Milhiser said at a Republican event in Peoria the week before the election. "It's difficult for somebody from the outside to get in. And that's unfortunate because we need public servants. We don't need more career politicians with all those contacts in there. backroom deals. That's not what the citizens want."
Milhiser entered the race late but has been hammering an anti-corruption angle. He's seen as a possible fit for higher office if he can win this race.
Dan Brady's skill is his shoe leather. In Peoria, 5 On Your Side Political Editor Mark Maxwell saw him planting his own yard signs. He told Maxwell that is part of his style and he'd show up and do the same thing in the secretary of state's office.
Dan Brady has a list of endorsements on his campaign website. John Milhiser does not.
Democrat
On the Democrat side, former Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia were the front-runners with Chicago City Councilman David Moore and nonprofit founder Sidney Moore also on the ballot.
Giannoulias and Valencia were both running on platforms to increase transparency and improve trust in the office. Both have highlighted ethics as a key issue and both have criticized the other in that department.
NBC Chicago reported that Giannoulias has repeatedly criticized Valencia for not being more transparent about her husband’s lobbying work.
Valencia has criticized Giannoulias for his handling of the state's Bright Start program, which hounded him during his unsuccessful Senate run in 2010. She has also criticized him for the failure of his family's Broadway Bank, which failed following the 2010 recession.
Both candidates have picked up major endorsements including U.S. House representatives and labor organizations, but Valencia has picked up the endorsements of both U.S. Senators, Governor J.B. Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and current Secretary of State Jesse White.
To see a full list of endorsements for each candidate, click the following links.