Secretary of State Election: Brady Far Ahead, Giannoulias Leading

ILLINOIS – A former Illinois treasurer was leading in the Democratic race for Illinois secretary of state Tuesday, while a longtime state representative was ahead on the Republican side.

Former Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is ahead with 53 percent of the vote as of 9:50 p.m., followed by Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia with 34 percent and Chicago Alderman David Moore with 9 percent, according to unofficial results. Entrepreneur Sidney Moore has about 4 percent.

For the GOP, state Rep. Dan Brady was way ahead with 76 percent. Former prosecutor John Milhiser has 24 percent. The other candidate was Michelle Turney of Chicago, but she did not run an active campaign.

Nearly two-thirds of the vote is in.

Longtime Secretary of State Jesse White has been a guaranteed vote-getter since 1998. But he's no longer in the mix, which means both the Democratic and Republican parties saw competitive primaries Tuesday.

Four years ago, the Democrat won with 68 percent of the vote, considerably higher than Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker's 54 percent. In 2002, White prevailed in all 102 Illinois counties, an unusual feat.

In the 2022 election, the 88-year-old White decided against running again.

That opened the way for four Democrats and three Republicans to run.

In Illinois, the Secretary of State's Office has a number of duties, including issuing driver's licenses, maintaining state records, and administering laws for registrations for corporations, lobbyists and notaries public.

The office also oversees the state archive and state library and maintains the State Capitol.

On the Democratic side, three of the candidates have served in elected office, while the fourth, Sidney Moore, describes himself as self-employed and an entrepreneur.

Giannoulias served as state treasurer from 2007 to 2011 and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2010, losing to Republican Mark Kirk.

Valencia was appointed Chicago city clerk in 2017 and won the election in her own right two years later. White endorsed her as his replacement.

David Moore has served as the Ward 17 alderman in Chicago since 2015.

In the Democratic fundraising race, Giannoulias was far ahead with $4.4 million in his campaign bank account as of March 31, according to state Board of Elections records. He is followed by Valencia with $1.1 million and David Moore with $39,000. A report couldn't be found for Sidney Moore.

For the GOP, Brady was the only one who has served in elected office. He has been a state representative since 2001.

Milhiser is a former state and federal prosecutor. As a U.S. attorney, his jurisdiction covered 46 Illinois counties.

Turney is a former Chicago police sergeant. She told the Chicago Sun-Times that her goal would be to "decertify the 2020 Election on day one of my term." The Secretary of State has no such power.

As of March 31, Milhiser was leading in the fundraising race with $273,000 in the bank, followed by Brady with $242,000. Turney has not filed a report.