Al Salvi

Albert J. Salvi (born April 25, 1960 in Evanston, Illinois) is an attorney, radio talk show host, and a former Illinois State Representative and Republican candidate for United States Senate and for Illinois Secretary of State.

Early life and education

Salvi received his Bachelor of Arts in government from the University of Notre Dame in 1982 and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1985.

Politics

Salvi was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1992 and served there until 1996, when he left his seat to run for U.S. Senate. In his Senate run Salvi defeated Lieutenant Governor Bob Kustra in the Republican primary but was defeated by Democratic U.S. Representative Dick Durbin in the general election. In 1998, Salvi was the Republican candidate for secretary of state but was defeated by Democrat Jesse White.

In 1998, when Salvi was running for Illinois Secretary of State, campaign manager Peter Roskam asked the Illinois Comptroller's office for a list of state employees. At the time, Roskam told the Chicago Tribune that the request was for personal use. However, Roskam gave the list to Salvi, who used the list to send numbered campaign fund-raising tickets to state employees. The numbering allowed the campaign to keep track of who contributed and who didn't. One watchdog group called the scheme "classic Illinois political prostitution with a twist.""" Eric...
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