Brady, Giannoulias to Square Off for Secretary of State
Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside), a top House Democrat for financial issues, was defeated by a challenger from the left in Tuesday’s primary.
A moderate downstate Republican lawmaker and a former State Treasurer and banking executive will square this fall in hopes of replacing longtime Secretary of State Jesse White.
Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) defeated former Sangamon County State’s Attorney and former U.S. Attorney John Milhiser by a 74% to 26% clip. Milhiser was part of a slate of GOP candidates supported by billionaire Ken Griffin and gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin.
Brady, 60, who lagged behind Milhiser in fundraising for much of the campaign told supporters Tuesday night his victory shows money isn’t everything.
“Tonight has shown hard work still stands for something in Illinois politics,” Brady said to a crowd assembled in Bloomington Tuesday night. “This is an office I’ve aspired to. I was not recruited for this. It’s not an office about public policy or prosecuting people. It’s about service to the public, which I have done my entire career, both politically and professionally.”
But to be the first Republican elected Secretary of state in 28 years and first statewide elected Republican since 2014, Brady will have to defeat former Democratic State Treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias. He defeated Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia by a 53% to 34%.
“What I am running to do is make Illinois a great example for the rest of this country,” Giannoulias told supports in Chicago Tuesday night. “I love this state. It is the state that made me who I am.”
Giannoulias served as State Treasurer from 2007-2011 and lost a race for United States Senate in 2010 to rRepublican Mark Kirk.
Giannoulias is likely to significantly outraise Brady in the fall, though Brady is known as one of the hardest working candidates in all of state government.