Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias was the first major statewide candidate in Illinois history to support gay marriage publicly. He enthusiastically backs comprehensive immigration reform. And he's been an outspoken proponent of filibuster reform. So it's not surprising that his campaign told Crain's that he would have voted for cloture yesterday on a defense reauthorization package that would have repealed the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy and implemented the DREAM Act.

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, on the other hand, wouldn't take a position. Kirk was once an ally of the gay community. Not anymore. And just last week, he released a Spanish-language television ad that claimed he would help "Latino families." Many in Illinois, of course, would benefit immensely from that immigration provision he can't make up his mind about.