US Senate - IL

US Senate - IL

Alexi Giannoulias was elected State Treasurer of Illinois on November 7, 2006, capping off one of the more improbable victories in Illinois politics. Opposed by the insiders from the very start, he won the support of voters by proposing bold new initiatives and turning his back on politics as usual.

Ending pay-to-play politics was Alexi’s first act as Treasurer.  On day one, he issued an executive order that enacted the most sweeping ethics reforms in the history of his office by banning contributions to his campaign from office employees, contractors and banks.  During his term as State Treasurer, he took Illinois' Bright Start college savings program from one of the worst in the nation to one of the best, with Money Magazine and Consumer Reports highlighting it as one of the top programs in the country in 2009. He’s led the way on incentives for hybrid vehicle purchases and job creation, expanded the state’s scholarship programs to provide financial aid to the children of fallen soldiers, and committed himself to tackling inefficiency and corruption in state government.

Alexi graduated cum laude from Boston University with a degree in economics and earned a law degree from Tulane University's School of Law. He formerly served on the board of directors of the Community Bankers Association and as Vice-President of Broadway Bank in Chicago's Edgewater community.

Alexi is running for the United States Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. 

Alexi Giannoulias was elected State Treasurer of Illinois on November 7, 2006, capping off one of the more improbable victories in Illinois politics. Opposed by the insiders from the very start, he won the support of voters by proposing bold new initiatives and turning his back on politics as usual.

Ending pay-to-play politics was Alexi’s first act as Treasurer.  On day one, he issued an executive order that enacted the most sweeping ethics reforms in the history of his office by banning contributions to his campaign from office employees, contractors and banks.  During his term as State Treasurer, he took Illinois' Bright Start college savings program from one of the worst in the nation to one of the best, with Money Magazine and Consumer Reports highlighting it as one of the top programs in the country in 2009. He’s led the way on incentives for hybrid vehicle purchases and job creation, expanded the state’s scholarship programs to provide financial aid to the children of fallen soldiers, and committed himself to tackling inefficiency and corruption in state government.

Alexi graduated cum laude from Boston University with a degree in economics and earned a law degree from Tulane University's School of Law. He formerly served on the board of directors of the Community Bankers Association and as Vice-President of Broadway Bank in Chicago's Edgewater community.

Alexi is running for the United States Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. 

US Congress - IL

US Congress - IL

2nd Congressional District

Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. began service in the United States House of Representatives on December 12, 1995, as a member of the 104th Congress. He was the 91st African American ever elected to Congress.

Representative Jackson currently sits on the House Appropriations Committee, serving as the 4th most senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; the Vice-Chair, or 2nd most senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and a member of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies.

His leadership created the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health in 2001, hailed by many minority health experts as the most important civil rights legislation since the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Representative Jackson also secured funding for the Institute of Medicine?s 2002 report on health disparities, ?Unequal Treatment." In addition, Representative Jackson has served as a member of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission since 2003, and as a member of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics Senior Advisory Board since 2000.

Prior to his congressional service, Representative Jackson served as the National Field Director of the National Rainbow Coalition. In this role, he instituted a national non-partisan program that successfully registered millions of new voters. He also created a voter education program to teach citizens the importance of participating in the political process, including how to use technology to win elections and more effectively participate in politics.

Born in the midst of the voting rights struggle on March 11, 1965, Representative Jackson spent his twenty-first birthday in a jail cell in Washington, D.C. for taking part in a protest against apartheid at the South African Embassy. He also demonstrated weekly in front of the South African Consulate in Chicago. Representative Jackson was on stage with Nelson Mandela during his historic speech following a 27-year imprisonment in Cape Town.

In 1987, Representative Jackson graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. Three years later, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Theology from the Chicago Theological Seminary, and in 1993, received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law. He has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from the Chicago Theological Seminary, Governors State University, North Carolina A & T State University, Charles R. Drew Univ. of Medicine and Science, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine. Representative Jackson has co-authored A More Perfect Union: Advancing New American Rights (2001) with Frank E. Watkins. He has also co-authored Legal Lynching II (2001), It?s About the Money (1999) and Legal Lynching (1996).

Representative Jackson resides in the Second Congressional District of Illinois with his wife Sandi, Chicago's 7th Ward Alderman, daughter Jessica Donatella, and son Jesse L. Jackson, III.

2nd Congressional District

Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. began service in the United States House of Representatives on December 12, 1995, as a member of the 104th Congress. He was the 91st African American ever elected to Congress.

Representative Jackson currently sits on the House Appropriations Committee, serving as the 4th most senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; the Vice-Chair, or 2nd most senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and a member of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies.

His leadership created the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health in 2001, hailed by many minority health experts as the most important civil rights legislation since the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Representative Jackson also secured funding for the Institute of Medicine?s 2002 report on health disparities, ?Unequal Treatment." In addition, Representative Jackson has served as a member of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission since 2003, and as a member of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics Senior Advisory Board since 2000.

Prior to his congressional service, Representative Jackson served as the National Field Director of the National Rainbow Coalition. In this role, he instituted a national non-partisan program that successfully registered millions of new voters. He also created a voter education program to teach citizens the importance of participating in the political process, including how to use technology to win elections and more effectively participate in politics.

Born in the midst of the voting rights struggle on March 11, 1965, Representative Jackson spent his twenty-first birthday in a jail cell in Washington, D.C. for taking part in a protest against apartheid at the South African Embassy. He also demonstrated weekly in front of the South African Consulate in Chicago. Representative Jackson was on stage with Nelson Mandela during his historic speech following a 27-year imprisonment in Cape Town.

In 1987, Representative Jackson graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. Three years later, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Theology from the Chicago Theological Seminary, and in 1993, received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law. He has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from the Chicago Theological Seminary, Governors State University, North Carolina A & T State University, Charles R. Drew Univ. of Medicine and Science, Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine. Representative Jackson has co-authored A More Perfect Union: Advancing New American Rights (2001) with Frank E. Watkins. He has also co-authored Legal Lynching II (2001), It?s About the Money (1999) and Legal Lynching (1996).

Representative Jackson resides in the Second Congressional District of Illinois with his wife Sandi, Chicago's 7th Ward Alderman, daughter Jessica Donatella, and son Jesse L. Jackson, III.

11th Congressional District

Debbie Halvorson was elected in November 2008, and is now serving her first term in the House of Representatives on behalf of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. She is an experienced legislator who, before her election to Congress, served as the first female State Senate Majority Leader in Illinois' history.

Halvorson entered public service in 1993, when she became the Crete Township Clerk. In 1996, she ran for and won a seat in the State Senate, where she served until being elected to Congress. While in the State Senate, Halvorson continued to build her reputation for being a tireless worker and a dedicated public servant. She devoted herself to addressing the needs of her constituents and fought, in her words, "to bring government back to the people." She now looks to bring the experience she gained passing legislation to improve the lives of working families in the State Senate to the halls of Congress, where she will continue working for solutions to the challenges Americans face.

Halvorson's experience includes 14 years as a small businesswoman before entering public office. She also spent time as a lecturer at her alma mater, Governor's State University. Halvorson earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Communications as she put both of her children through college, all while serving in the State Senate. She understands the difficulties working families face in helping their children achieve the dream of a college education and a good job, having also worked in the State Senate to improve college affordability and school funding.

As a State Senator, she led and was a part of numerous trade trips to promote local businesses around the globe in places like China and Eastern Europe. Halvorson also led the movement to provide affordable prescription drugs to senior citizens and the disabled, sponsoring and passing first in the nation legislation to create the Senior Prescription Drug Program, now known as Illinois Cares RX. Her legislative portfolio also includes drafting legislation to protect senior citizens checking into nursing homes and working to expand health care coverage to veterans, small businesses, the self-employed, and other uninsured groups.

As Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson now begins her service to the people of the 11th District, she is committed to providing first-rate constituent services throughout the District. She plans to provide bi-partisan leadership to advance the many important interests of her diverse district, which is home to suburban communities south of Chicago and rural towns in Central Illinois.

Debbie Halvorson is married to Jim Bush and together they have four children and four grandchildren. She is a lifelong resident of the 11th District, and she and her husband reside in Crete, Illinois. The 11th District stretches from the Indiana border to nearly Iowa, and south to central Illinois, covering much of Will, Kankakee, Grundy, LaSalle and Bureau Counties, and parts of Livingston, Woodford and McLean Counties.

11th Congressional District

Debbie Halvorson was elected in November 2008, and is now serving her first term in the House of Representatives on behalf of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois. She is an experienced legislator who, before her election to Congress, served as the first female State Senate Majority Leader in Illinois' history.

Halvorson entered public service in 1993, when she became the Crete Township Clerk. In 1996, she ran for and won a seat in the State Senate, where she served until being elected to Congress. While in the State Senate, Halvorson continued to build her reputation for being a tireless worker and a dedicated public servant. She devoted herself to addressing the needs of her constituents and fought, in her words, "to bring government back to the people." She now looks to bring the experience she gained passing legislation to improve the lives of working families in the State Senate to the halls of Congress, where she will continue working for solutions to the challenges Americans face.

Halvorson's experience includes 14 years as a small businesswoman before entering public office. She also spent time as a lecturer at her alma mater, Governor's State University. Halvorson earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Communications as she put both of her children through college, all while serving in the State Senate. She understands the difficulties working families face in helping their children achieve the dream of a college education and a good job, having also worked in the State Senate to improve college affordability and school funding.

As a State Senator, she led and was a part of numerous trade trips to promote local businesses around the globe in places like China and Eastern Europe. Halvorson also led the movement to provide affordable prescription drugs to senior citizens and the disabled, sponsoring and passing first in the nation legislation to create the Senior Prescription Drug Program, now known as Illinois Cares RX. Her legislative portfolio also includes drafting legislation to protect senior citizens checking into nursing homes and working to expand health care coverage to veterans, small businesses, the self-employed, and other uninsured groups.

As Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson now begins her service to the people of the 11th District, she is committed to providing first-rate constituent services throughout the District. She plans to provide bi-partisan leadership to advance the many important interests of her diverse district, which is home to suburban communities south of Chicago and rural towns in Central Illinois.

Debbie Halvorson is married to Jim Bush and together they have four children and four grandchildren. She is a lifelong resident of the 11th District, and she and her husband reside in Crete, Illinois. The 11th District stretches from the Indiana border to nearly Iowa, and south to central Illinois, covering much of Will, Kankakee, Grundy, LaSalle and Bureau Counties, and parts of Livingston, Woodford and McLean Counties.

13th Congressional District

Scott Harper is the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 13th District of Illinois. He grew up in Naperville and attended Naperville Central High School.

Scott has spent his career as a successful small business owner. He started a media, design and marketing consulting firm called Closer Look and grew it from a two-person staff to a 40-person office with more than $5,000,000 in revenue. He understands the importance of fiscal responsibility and the value of economic development and in Congress, Scott will work to bring new technologies and industries to this community.

Before building Closer Look, Scott was a manufacturing executive who worked with labor and business to ensure workers rights were protected and to improve performance in the workplace. Scott believes strongly in the rights of working families and will be a strong advocate for them in Washington.

Aside from his successful career in business, Scott has always been a strong community activist dedicated to volunteerism. In Chicago, he tutored minority children, and worked in several area homeless shelters. He also coached at a Career Transitions Center and has been active in mentoring young adults. Additionally, Scott was a long-time member of Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago and continues to be active in the religious community.

A strong commitment to education is a centerpiece of Scott's campaign for Congress and he has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to learning. Scott completed his undergraduate degree at Wheaton College and received his MBA from the University of Chicago. He also has a Master's degree from Oxford University in England.

Scott was born in Illinois and is the oldest of five children. He has two children of his own-Natasha, 24, who is finishing her architecture degree from the Pratt Institute of Design and Briana, 22, who is double majoring in political science and economics at Barnard/Columbia.

13th Congressional District

Scott Harper is the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 13th District of Illinois. He grew up in Naperville and attended Naperville Central High School.

Scott has spent his career as a successful small business owner. He started a media, design and marketing consulting firm called Closer Look and grew it from a two-person staff to a 40-person office with more than $5,000,000 in revenue. He understands the importance of fiscal responsibility and the value of economic development and in Congress, Scott will work to bring new technologies and industries to this community.

Before building Closer Look, Scott was a manufacturing executive who worked with labor and business to ensure workers rights were protected and to improve performance in the workplace. Scott believes strongly in the rights of working families and will be a strong advocate for them in Washington.

Aside from his successful career in business, Scott has always been a strong community activist dedicated to volunteerism. In Chicago, he tutored minority children, and worked in several area homeless shelters. He also coached at a Career Transitions Center and has been active in mentoring young adults. Additionally, Scott was a long-time member of Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago and continues to be active in the religious community.

A strong commitment to education is a centerpiece of Scott's campaign for Congress and he has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to learning. Scott completed his undergraduate degree at Wheaton College and received his MBA from the University of Chicago. He also has a Master's degree from Oxford University in England.

Scott was born in Illinois and is the oldest of five children. He has two children of his own-Natasha, 24, who is finishing her architecture degree from the Pratt Institute of Design and Briana, 22, who is double majoring in political science and economics at Barnard/Columbia.