Congressman Mark Kirk is relying on secret money raised by undisclosed corporate donors and a visit by an out-of-state politician to save his campaign, while Alexi Giannoulias rallies voters with hometown hero, U.S. President Barack Obama.

"Today's news shows how much is at stake in this election. These secret corporate special interests are spending record amounts to support Congressman Kirk because they know he will continue to protect their profits at the expense of the middle class," said Alexi for Illinois spokesman Scott Burnham. "Every dollar is being spent on negative attack ads that have been called false by independent fact check organizations. While Alexi is talking about tax cuts for middle class families and help for America's small businesses, these groups support Congressman Kirk because he continually pushes for more tax cuts for the wealthy and votes to protect tax loopholes for companies that ship our jobs overseas."

CHICAGO - A previously undisclosed campaign fundraising document obtained by the Capitol Fax political blog reveals that Congressman Mark Kirk held a Beijing fundraiser with corporate executives on May 27, 2010. The very next day, he voted against closing the tax loophole that rewards corporations for shipping American jobs overseas to countries like China.

Anyone who knows me knows I loathe the use of "breaking" in subject lines. I really do. But there's no other way to describe what just broke here on the ground.

In the midst of the scandal involving the U.S. Chamber's solicitation of overseas funds comes this breaking news: leaked documents show that Republican Congressman Mark Kirk held what his campaign called a "Beijing Fundraiser."

CHICAGO – At tonight’s ABC 7 debate, Congressman Mark Kirk once again falsely described himself as a moderate and independent voice for Illinois. The reality is that during his 10 years in Washington, Congressman Mark Kirk has proven co-dependent on corporate special interest cash and has voted their way every single time. 

Today, Senator John Kerry joined Alexi in calling out the shadowy groups that are trying to buy this election. Here's what Senator Kerry had to say:
 

"Today's vote in the U.S. Senate shows two fundamental problems with our government -- it is far too beholden to corporate special interests, and empty Republican obstructionism requires a supermajority vote to pass anything out of the Senate.

CHICAGO - The Alexi for Illinois campaign today released a new television ad - "The Choice" - highlighting President Barack Obama's endorsement of Alexi's character, leadership on ethics and refusal of federal lobbyist money. The 30-second spot begins airing statewide Thursday.

The new ad can be viewed here.

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias outlined a series of proposals today to restore fiscal discipline in Washington, D.C. and bring down the national debt.  His plan, which is one of a series of comprehensive proposals to get our economy moving again and restore accountability to Washington, D.C., stands in stark contract to Republican Congressman Mark Kirk's call to return to the economic policy embraced by George W. Bush.

Allow me to state the obvious: despite the fact that Democrats control the House and Senate, conservatives control what gets sent to the President’s desk.

Legislation that starts off strong is watered down by conservative Democrats in the House and Senate. It’s then whittled down to ineffectiveness in order to try and get a handful of Republican votes on board.

My solution: I’m going to create a robust Senate Progressive Caucus that will hold the line and fight for progressive policies that help all Americans.