Yesterday, an independent poll showed Alexi beating incumbent Republican Congressman Mark Kirk by seven points. Today, our campaign outlined seven reasons why Alexi's support continues to grow throughout Illinois.

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Seven points.

That is the lead Alexi has over incumbent Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, according to an independent poll released yesterday afternoon by respected pollster Research 2000.  As The Hill reported, Alexi is "holding strong early" because his "favorables remain higher than Kirk's" and because he "actually is doing better among independents than Kirk."

Here are seven reasons why Alexi's support is continuing to grow across Illinois:

1.  He's been a consistent fighter for Illinois workers and their jobs.  Alexi recently announced a settlement that gave Illinois workers at a Moline plant over $100,000 in back pay and vacation time because of their employer's unfair labor practices.  Read about the settlement here.

2. He's a vocal supporter of the creation of a bipartisan deficit reduction commission.  Such a commission will help our federal government balance its books and live within its means, just like ordinary families do. Alexi knows that restoring fiscal sanity to our federal budget is a key part of getting our economy back on track and strengthening it for generations.  Read Alexi's thoughts on deficit reduction here.

3.  He knows that investing in our youth is the best way to move our country forward.  Alexi recently stopped in Jacksonville, Illinois to discuss the issues with students at Illinois College.  With a room full of students hoping for a better future, he discussed his plans for job creation, innovation, and the environment.  Read about his stop in Jacksonville here.  You can read about Alexi's plans for revitalizing our education system here.

4.  He wants to fix our broken health insurance system so that it works for you, not just for insurance company executives.  Mark Kirk has accepted more than $1.3 million from insurance companies for his campaigns, and then he voted their way. Alexi knows that half-measures and window-dressing "solutions" won't help the 45,000 people who die each year because of a lack of health insurance, and they won't help the millions more whose premiums are skyrocketing.  Instead of coming to the table to discuss the President's health care reform proposal, Kirk dismissed it right out of the gate and refused to compromise.  Kirk is insisting that Congress enact his weak, ineffective health care bill, a plan so frivolous that Greg Hinz of Crain's Chicago Business suggested that "maybe Mr. Kirk should drop his Senate bid and begin a new career as a stand-up comic."  Read more about the critical differences between Alexi and Kirk on health care here.

5.  His voice is your voice.  Unlike Washington insider Mark Kirk, Alexi refuses to play the typical Washington game of working for D.C. lobbyists and corporations instead of the people.  That is why he's the only candidate in this race who refuses to take a dime from federal lobbyists and corporate PACs.

6. He doesn't put discrimination over national security.  The military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy (DADT) has resulted in the dismissal of hundreds of Arab linguists and other mission-critical personnel simply because they are gay.  Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, and many other prominent military leaders support a repeal of DADT. Yet some Republicans, like Mark Kirk, are against the idea.  Read Alexi's thoughts on why we need to repeal DADT here.

7. He will bring fresh ideas and fresh leadership to D.C.  Did you know that the Senate is sitting on 290 bills that have already passed the House? Gridlock exists in D.C. because too many have their eyes towards re-election instead of towards getting the people's business done.  Whether it's Republicans blocking bills for political gain or corporations causing gridlock by pouring millions into lobbying for the status quo, Washington won't change until we change the people we choose to represent us.  And we can't let an incumbent like Mark Kirk, who has been in D.C. for a decade and is part of the problem, continue his record of stalling progress in the U.S. Senate. 

We need a fresh voice and a fighter to speak for us. 

We need Alexi.

This race is one of the most competitive in the nation because both sides know what is at stake.  That is why we're already starting to see false, right-wing smears against Alexi.  But the more the people of Illinois hear about Alexi's plans for creating the next generation of good-paying jobs here in Illinois, and the more they hear about his other ideas about getting Washington working again for all Americans, the more his support builds.  

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