Midterm Election Preview Story
Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, 46, of Chicago, and Republican Dan Brady, 61, of Bloomington, Ill., are running for Illinois Secretary of State. The winner will replace Chicago’s Jesse White, 88, who has held the position for 23 years. White, who became Illinois’ 37th Secretary of State in 1999, will not seek for a seventh term on Nov. 8, 2022.
Primary Results
On June 30, 2022, Giannoulias won the Democratic primary with 52.8% of the votes. The runner-ups were 37-year-old Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia, who had 34.3% of the votes, 56-year-old member of the Chicago City Council, David Moore, who had 8.9% of the votes, and 64-year-old self-employed candidate Sidney Moore, who had 3.9% of the votes. Valencia only won Madison County, Ill. with 45.9% of the votes against Giannoulias, who had 39.4% of the votes there.
The same day, Brady won the Republican primary for Secretary of State against 53-year-old attorney John Milhiser. Brady defeated Milhiser with 76.4% of the votes. Milhiser had only 23.6% of the votes; furthermore, he only won Sangamon County, Ill. with 63.4% of the votes compared to Brady with 36.6% of the votes.
Social Media Platform
Giannoulias can be followed on his Twitter platform @ginnoulias, whereas Brady can be followed on Twitter @repdanbrady.
Campaign Money Raised
According to Dan Petrella of the Chicago Tribune, Giannoulias spent $5.2 million to win the primary. In September 2022, governor JB Pritzker gave $1 million to Giannoulias’s campaign AlexiForUs. Labor unions, auto dealers, and other supporters gave his campaign $769k. On Oct. 18, 2022, Giannoulias ended his fundraising quarter with around $3.5 million in hand.
Reform For Illinois states that as of April 2022, Brady had raised $77k in his campaign VoteDanBrady with $242k in the bank. Petrella notes that Brady has raised nearly $165k through large-dollar contributions. Brady had less than $249,000 in his campaign account at the end of September 2022.
Previous Political Experience
Giannoulias was previously Illinois State Treasurer from 2007 to 2011, Chairman of the Illinois Community College System from 2011 to 2015, and a member of the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors from 2018 to 2021. He once ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate back in 2010, only to lose to now former politician Mark Kirk of the Republican party in the midterms that year.
Brady became a McLean County Coroner back in 1992 and 1996. He has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for many years. He represented the 88th District from 2001 to 2013. He currently represents the 105th district in Springfield.
Official Campaign Sites
Giannoulias’ campaign website is AlexiForUs. On the other hand, Brady’s campaign website is VoteDanBrady, paid for by Friends of Dan Brady.
Runners for Illinois’ 37th Secretary of State photos
Google Trends
According to Google Trends, Giannoulias reached full interest in Ill. over Brady on Sept. 16, 2022. On that day, he appeared on the Steve Cochran Show on WLS Radio to discuss his agenda once he expects to win the Secretary of State election.
