Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, [Senate candidate Alex] Giannoulias’ campaign chairman, expressed concerns over a lack of White House commitment to the candidate to Washington-based Politico after a recent meeting with President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. Durbin quickly tempered his comments, and the White House offered a tepid statement that “the president intends to help Democratic candidates in Illinois up and down the ballot.”
The lukewarm reaction from Washington is a blow to Giannoulias, a one-time basketball playing buddy of the president …
The Giannoulias camp didn’t get a heads up about Obama’s next scheduled visit to his home state, in downstate Quincy next week, and has been seeking a much warmer endorsement from the White House since winning the Feb. 2 primary. Giannoulias said he would not go to Quincy but offered no reason other than “it was not on our schedule.”