Joined by friends, colleagues, and family at the Garfield Park Conservatory on the city's West Side this morning, Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman officially launched his Democratic bid for U.S. Senate.  Citing his previous work with the U.S. attorney's office and the Illinois Reform Commission, Hoffman described himself as a "watchdog." "The legislature -- and that includes the United States Senate -- needs to be an independent advocate for people and an independent mechanism of oversight," he said. Watch an excerpt from his remarks:

The speech -- like most at this juncture in the campaign season -- was light on policy prescriptions.  As the clip above shows, Hoffman did touch briefly on the power of the health insurance industry ("Does anyone really think that those interests are working for us?") and the banking sector ("the unchecked irresponsibility and greed of those on Wall Street who gambled with our future").  Like the other Democratic candidates, we'll be watching carefully in the coming weeks as he rolls out a more detailed issue platform.   

Without ever using their names, Hoffman previewed how he will frame himself vis-a-vis Democratic competitors Alexi Giannoulias and Cheryle Jackson. "I represent, I believe, a clear choice for voters in this primary," he said. "I'm not one of the insiders.  I'm not.  I have not been a player in this system. I have been challenging this system."  More explicitly, he said: "It's time to turn the page on the Blagojevich-Rezko era."

The Blagojevich reference is clearly directed at Jackson, who worked for the former governor from 2003 until 2006.  The Rezko reference may mean that Hoffman plans to highlight a loan to the now-convicted Democratic fundraiser approved by Giannoulias before he was elected state treasurer.  Back in March, Archpundit did a good job putting this particular "controversy" in context. "I'm having a hard time finding the scandal," he wrote.  "Rezko essential defrauded the bank that Giannoulias worked for and somehow that puts Alexi in cahoots with him."

Hoffman is now embarking on an RV tour of the state through the weekend.  He'll be in Springfield this afternoon, Alton, Carbondale and Champaign on Saturday, Peoria and Moline on Sunday, and Rockford on Monday.  You can check out his ride below:

Finally, Hoffman was introduced by State Sen. Jeff Schoenburg.  Other officials in attendance included Ald. Joe Moore (49th Ward), Rep. Susan Garrett, Rep. Elaine Nekritz, and Patrick Collins.