Giannoulias to receive endorsement from Gutierrez

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is set to receive the endorsement today of Illinois’ highest-ranking Hispanic elected official, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, in the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate.

Gutierrez had planned to appear in Chicago today to endorse Giannoulias but remained in Washington for the vote on President Obama’s health-reform plan.

Gutierrez said Giannoulias has impressed him by sticking his neck out to save union jobs in Illinois. He said that “Alexi helped save 1,000 jobs’’ in May by threatening to pull state business from Wells Fargo when the bank threatened to cut off a line of credit to Des Plaines-based Hartmarx, Obama’s suitmaker. The bank relented, and the workers’ jobs were eventually saved.

Late last year Giannoulias helped reach a settlement with Bank of America to ensure that workers at Republic Windows and Doors received the wages, vacation and health care after the factory shut down, Gutierrez said. Giannoulias warned Bank of America to extend the company’s line of credit if it wanted to keep doing business with the state.

“There was a parade of politicians that came through for their five minutes,’’ Gutierrez said Saturday. “Alexi was with us the whole time. He actually did something specific: He put the muscle of his office behind the workers.’’

Gutierrez, who is Puerto Rican, endorsed Giannoulias even though another candidate in the race, former city of Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, has a Puerto Rican grandmother.

Giannoulias has the endorsement of 10 Hispanic state legislators and Chicago aldermen. This makes four congressional endorsements for Giannoulias. Rival Cheryle Jackson has two.

In the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (D-Ill.) has sewn up the endorsements of most of the state’s top Republican elected officials.