By 25 News
BLOOMINGTON – State Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) has conceded defeat in his race for Illinois Secretary of State. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias was elected to the post Tuesday night, replacing Jesse White, who’s retiring from the job he’s held since 1999.
Giannoulias was Illinois’ youngest Treasurer from 2007 to 2011 during former-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former-Gov. Pat Quinn. He also ran for the Senate seat held by Roland Burris, who was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. Giannoulias lost that Senate race.
Since his tenure as state Treasurer, Giannoulias has stepped back from public service working as a private financier with BNY Mellon Wealth Management.
His campaign focused on improving trust in public office and said government should no longer prioritize “interests of the powerful and wealthy over the welfare of the majority,” his campaign’s website said.
Giannoulias also focused on improving voting access and registration efforts, as well as voter security.
The Secretary of State’s office operates as the state’s registry for lobbying groups and entities. All lobbyists must register through the SoS office. Elected officials must also file their potential conflicts of interest and sources of income outside their state salary.
Giannoulias’ campaign said he wants to improve and tighten up registration to improve ethics in the statehouse and require elected officials to reveal conflicts of interest.
Brady has been a state representative since 2001. He’s a funeral director and former McLean County Coroner.
Brady’s campaign focused improving organ and tissue donor registration, updating SoS technology to reduce wait times, and improve services for older adults.
The Secretary of State also serves as the state’s librarian. Brady highlighted that part of the office by hoping to develop local libraries in his campaign.
“I will continue to work with the many great libraries across the state as they have become an ever-growing extension of our educational services. I will prioritize seeking additional public and private funding to make our libraries more accessible for all across the state,” his campaign website read.
