Alexi Giannoulias vs. Mark Kirk

Mark Kirk (Republican) defeated Alexi Giannoulias (Democrat) to win the US Senate seat from Illinois in the US Senate 2010 elections.

The seat was held by Roland Burris who was appointed by Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the vacated seat of Barack Obama.

This article presents an unbiased overview of the positions of both candidates. See also Bill Brady vs Pat Quinn.

Comparison chart

Alexi Giannoulias versus Mark Kirk comparison chart

	Alexi Giannoulias	Mark Kirk
	current rating is 3.16/5 1 2 3 4 5 (51 ratings)	current rating is 3.21/5 1 2 3 4 5 (56 ratings)
Preceded by	Judy Baar Topinka	Roland Burris
Date of birth	March 16, 1976	September 15, 1959
Political Party	Democratic	Republican
Spouse(s)	-	Kimberly Vertolli (2001–2009)
Alma Mater	Tulane University Law School (JD) Boston University (BA)	Blackburn College, Cornell University, London School of Economics, Georgetown University
Website	http://www.alexiforillinois.com/	Senate website
Years of Service	-	1989–2013
Rank	-	Commander
Unit	-	Naval Intelligence

Comparison of Economic Policy

Alexi Giannoulias is of the opinion that fairness and innovation would put the American economy back on the right track. He thinks the economy must be stimulated by cutting taxes for small businesses as well as working Americans and deceptive practices of corporations, mortgage brokers and financial institutions must be controlled. Investing in education and providing easier access to community colleges and universities also hold place in his election agenda.

Mark Kirk believes that new jobs can be created and this would be the only way to put the economy back on track. Small business owners and farmer families have to be protected so as to unlock the economic development opportunities which would in turn spur job creation.

Difference in Health Care Policy

Alexi Giannoulias supports the health care reform bill and stands by the creation of a public health insurance option aimed at lowering costs, creating competition as well as increasing accessibility to health care insurance.

Mark Kirk believes that health care reforms should be in manner that costs are lowered without interference from the government. He suggested two amendments to the government health care bill which involved enforcement of Medical Rights Act and protection against paying more for health care insurance. Both these amendments were rejected by the Speaker.

Comparison of Energy Policy

Alexi Giannoulias believes that America should invest in new strategies and technologies that conserve environment as well as be economically productive. He proposes to promote energy independence and environmental sustainability.

Mark Kirk supports clean energy deals and measures to expand economic opportunities for the Americans. His energy agenda supports offshore energy exploration, nuclear energy and trans Canada pipeline.

Difference in Foreign Policy

Alexi Giannoulias supports President Obama in increasing military in Afghanistan in order to stand up against Taliban insurgency. He firmly believes that Iran is a threat to not only Israel but also to US and feels strongly that Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Alexi feels that President Obama is right in withdrawing all American troops from Iraq and leaving Iraq with a credible democracy. Mark Kirk is against terrorism and believes that Americans should fight and win the war against global terrorism. He has enhanced many terrorist reward programs and increased development work in tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has voted for many life saving surveillance on foreign tourists on foreign soil.

Early Life and Political Career

Alexi Giannoulias was born to Anna and Alexis who were Greek immigrants. Alexi has two brothers and is a keen basketball player. He graduated in economics from Boston University. He went on to play basketball in Panionios B.C. Greece and returned after a year. He earned his law degree from the Tulane University Law School. Alexi defeated State Senator Christine Radongo (Republican) in November 2006 to become the first Democrat in 12 years to occupy the office. He is the youngest State Treasurer in the nation. Mark Kirk was born in Illinois. He graduated in history from Cornell University and went on to take his master's degree from the London School of Economics. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Kirk was commissioned as intelligence officer in Navy Reserves in 1989. In 2000 Republican primary Kirk defeated 10 candidates for Congress and won the general elections.

Giannoulias - Kirk Debates

The first debate between Giannoulias and Kirk was held on October 10th for a nationwide audience on Meet the Press on NBC. The second debate, sponsored by League of Women Voters, was held on October 19th and broadcast on ABC News.

First Debate Video

Giannoulias vs. Kirk Opinion Polls (from Wikipedia)

Giannoulias and Kirk are having a very close campaign race and only elections will put to rest the predictions of this toss up.

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexi_Giannoulias
• http://www.alexiforillinois.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections_in_Illinois,_2010
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kirk
• http://www.kirkforsenate.com/

Related Comparisons

• Bill Brady vs Pat Quinn
• Joe Sestak vs Pat Toomey
• Robin Carnahan vs Roy Blunt
• Harry Reid vs Sue Lowden

• Follow
• Share
• Cite
• Authors

Share this comparison:

If you read this far, you should follow us:

"Alexi Giannoulias vs Mark Kirk." Diffen.com. Diffen LLC, n.d. Web. 7 Mar 2023. < >