Special Interest: llinois Senate Hopeful Gets White House Meeting

[ccharles000]

Democratic Senate candidate and former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman met with top White House adviser David Axelrod Thursday afternoon, according to Hoffman¹s campaign manager.

Hoffman, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and former Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Robinson Jackson are running for the Democratic nomination. Giannoulias, who polls show is the frontrunner for the nod, famously palled around with President Obama when they were lawmakers together in Illinois, but the president has indicated he will not endorse any candidate until after the Feb. 2 primary.

"The purpose of the meeting was for David Hoffman to have an opportunity to meet with David Axelrod and lay out the merits of his candidacy," said Hoffman campaign manager Michael Powell.

Top aides at the White House do not traditionally meet with Senate candidates -- with the exception of this seat, which Obama held from 2005 until after he won the presidency.

Axelrod met with Giannoulias on Oct. 14, plus Obama and other top aides met with Attorney General Lisa Madigan in June in a failed attempt to recruit her to run for the seat.

"There¹s a strong feeling that, as you know, David Axelrod and the Democrats in Illinois, want to keep this seat," Powell said. "It¹s Barack Obama¹s Senate seat."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/10/illinois.html

[frazzled]

1. I am interested to find out more about Hoffman

I'm glad that the WH is staying out of the primary, and that Axelrod has met with both Giannoulias and Hoffman. He should probably meet with Jackson, too.

Hoffman's Chicago IG background, together with his endorsement from Abner Mikva, gives him good creds. He looks more impervious to Republican charges of being another Dem machine candidate. On the other hand, does he have sufficient charisma quotient? I'm kind of guessing Giannoulis beats him on that count.

I read the other day that although Giannoulis leads in the polls, that when Hoffman's IG job is listed, he actually takes the lead. Stay tuned.