In last night’s Senate debate, Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias announced his intention to go positive for the remainder of the campaign. Much as it’s easy to mock Giannoulias for choosing to go positive for all of five days (really daring move, that), it’s definitely one way to get voters to pay attention, given how much the negative advertising in this race has disengaged them from the campaign. Worse for Kirk, Giannoulias has picked up endorsements from groups that supported Kirk earlier in the campaign. And is publicly regretting some of his more over-the-top remarks.
I hate to say it, but Giannoulias is doing a good job pre-empting Kirk on looking like the nice guy, and Kirk’s lead isn’t nearly wide enough for him to discount the effects of that, even this late in the game. Yes, it’s disingenuous and cynical, but he needs to keep his eye on the ball.