Posted by Rick Pearson and John Chase at 12:43 p.m.; updated at 6:10 p.m. with Quincy rally
QUINCY, Ill. — Democrat Alexi Giannoulias got a boost in his ailing U.S. Senate campaign today in the form of a public shout out and hug from President Barack Obama.
Both the White House and Giannoulias tried to downplay the political importance of today’s event as they try to keep Obama’s old Senate seat in Democratic hands following last week’s seizure by federal regulators of the Giannoulias family bank.
“I’m excited to see the president but this is not a political trip to Quincy," Giannoulias said at a rally in Chicago before heading downstate for the event.
Earlier, White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton told reporters traveling with Obama that it would not “be appropriate for the president to talk about anybody’s campaign at what are all official events.”
Yet there was no mistaking the political implications for Giannoulias and his relationship with the White House as Obama closed out a two-day three-state campaign-style Midwest tour with a town hall event at the Oakley Lindsay Civic Center.
Obama mentioned Giannoulias’ name during his remarks. Later, the president gave a departing good-luck hug to Giannoulias, his former basketball playing buddy. Obama has been close with Giannoulias, providing a vital endorsement in getting Giannoulias elected state treasurer four years ago.
Prior to Obama taking the stage, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod summoned Giannoulias out of his seat in the audience for a private backstage meeting. Axelrod said it involved “catching up” with the candidate.
A White House background sheet on the day’s activities, noting the elected officials from Illinois planning to attend the event, listed Giannoulias at the top, even though in ranking and seniority the state treasurer is last among the statewide offices.
Posted earlier…
Less than a week after his campaign was hit hard when federal regulators seized his family bank, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias said today he believes he has received appropriate backing from President Obama.
But Giannoulias downplayed his scheduled appearance today with Obama in downstate Quincy, saying he was going as state treasurer not as a candidate to fill the Senate seat Obama once held.
"The president and the White House are supportive. I’m excited to see the president but this is not a political trip to Quincy," Giannoulias said following a union rally in Chicago to support Obama’s Wall Street reform legislation.
Last week, Giannoulias said he didn’t plan to go to Quincy because he was "busy." But with questions swirling about how much Obama, a onetime basketball playing buddy of Giannoulias, is backing his candidacy, the appearance could help fend off some of those questions.
"I said (last week) I was going to try to make it, so we made myself available," Giannoulias said about what changed between last week and today.
Giannoulias at first didn’t want to take questions after the rally but acquiesced after being cornered by cameras as he cut through a post office on his way to his car.
During the rally, attended by about 150 people, Giannoulias criticized his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, saying Kirk has voted against Wall Street reform.
"As a U.S. congressman…when (the economy was) going great our national debt doubled," he said of Kirk after the rally. "So how can he talk about fiscal responsibility?"
Answering Giannoulias’ charges, Kirk spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said the North Shore congressman supports a compromise reform bill in the Senate. Kukowski also chided Giannoulias for having lost credibility on the issues of financial reform following the failure of his family’s Broadway Bank.
According to the White House, Obama will speak in Quincy about the need to approve Wall Street reforms. The advisory listed the Illinois public officials expected to attend. Giannoulias was listed first.
Also expected to attend are Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Secretary of State Jesse White, Comptroller Dan Hynes and House Speaker Michael Madigan. All are Chicago Democrats.