CHICAGO (AP) — The Democrats running for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat went to great lengths during a Tuesday debate to distance themselves from the scandals of Illinois' past while pointing fingers at each other.
Former city of Chicago inspector general David Hoffman blasted Illinois' treasurer Alexi Giannoulias for being the "insider" candidate.
Chicago Urban League chief Cheryle Jackson explained why she quit working for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich before the end of his first term.
Attorney Jacob Meister and physician Robert Marshall bragged about how they had no real connections to Illinois politicians.
And, Giannoulias slammed Hoffman for unfounded attacks on him that ignore the important issues voters really care about.
"He talked about corruption and Blagojevich and (Chicago Mayor Richard) Daley. But what he doesn't talk about is jobs," Giannoulias said during the WLS-TV debate that also was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Illinois and the Better Government Association.
The five are vying for a chance at Obama's old Senate seat now held by Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed by Blagojevich but is not running for a full term.
The winner of the Feb. 2 primary will face a Republican from the crowded GOP primary field that includes Congressman Mark Kirk, the early front-runner from Chicago's northern suburbs.
The specter of Blagojevich hung over Tuesday's debate.
Hoffman again pointed out that Giannoulias' family bank gave loans to convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko, who was part of Blagojevich's inner circle.
Blagojevich was removed from office last year by lawmakers after his arrest on federal corruption charges. He has denied wrongdoing.
Hoffman bragged he had no ties to "problem players" like Blagojevich or Rezko, after the debate calling Giannoulias a "smooth politician."
"I'm the only candidate who takes the corruption issue off the table and that is going to be the key for us as Democrats if we want to hold this seat in November," Hoffman said.
Meister said Hoffman wasn't the only candidate who could claim such distance.
"I'm proud to say that I know I'm not on the tapes," he said.
The charges against Blagojevich, which include trying to sell Obama's Senate seat, are based on phone conversations secretly recorded by federal prosecutors.
Jackson, who was Blagojevich's communications director and eventually his deputy chief of staff during most of his first term, said she put distance between herself and the disgraced former governor when she left his administration in 2006. She said she initially went to work for him because she believed in his causes.
"When it became less about that and about what I did not sign up for, I left," she said.
But other candidates said Jackson's work for Blagojevich resonates with voters.
"There's questions in the voters' minds about her relationship with Blagojevich," Meister told reporters after the debate.
Giannoulias also defended himself against criticism from Hoffman about his office's handling of a money-losing college savings program. A company hired to run Bright Start had put some money into risky investments that tanked with the rest of the economy.
Hoffman said a mother who lost money in the fund was in the audience for the debate.
"She deserves, like all parents, a treasurer who not only protects their money but takes responsibility for their failures," Hoffman said.
Giannoulias said he helped unravel the problems with the program and got a settlement so parents who lost money could recoup some of it.
"David Hoffman is in third place. He's based his whole campaign on attacking me," Giannoulias said.
The little-known Marshall said the "politicians" at the debate were doing a disservice to voters.
"They're throwing mud at each other and not telling what they want to do for you," he said.
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Associated Press Writer Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.
