Al Salvi
Encyclopedia
Albert J. Salvi is an attorney, former radio talk show host, and a former Illinois State Representative
and Republican
candidate for United States Senate
and for Illinois Secretary of State.
in government
from the University of Notre Dame
in 1982 and his J.D.
from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1985.
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."
According to Federal Election Commission
records, Salvi, a conservative, has donated to several other conservative candidates, including Alan Keyes
, Dan Quayle
, and Peter Roskam
.
Al Salvi is a personal injury
attorney and a partner in the law firm Salvi, Roskam & Maher. He handles cases such as: automobile accidents and injuries, slip and fall, dog bites, medical malpractice
, personal injury, and litigation.
Salvi is the host of The Al Salvi Show, a local issues-oriented radio talk show which airs on WKRS
AM 1220 in Waukegan, Illinois
the show had previously aired Monday through Friday. Al Salvi invited Republican
David McSweeney, a candidate for the 8th Congressional District, on his program but the interview soon became confrontational. Salvi went on to call McSweeney the "sleaziest" person he had dealt with, that he "made an ass of himself," is "a nut" and "made Richard Nixon
look like a choirboy." These statements were made during a primary in which his wife Kathy was an opponent of McSweeney.
In 2006, Salvi left his radio show on WKRS to pursue his legal career. He was replaced in the 10 AM to Noon time slot by Bruno Behrend, another WKRS radio host. In 2007, Salvi returned to WKRS and is on the air two days a week.
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate for United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and for Illinois Secretary of State.
Early life and education
Salvi received his Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
from the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in 1982 and his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1985.
Politics
Salvi was elected to the Illinois House of RepresentativesIllinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
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
Robert W. Kustra
Robert W. Kustra PhD is a former Illinois Republican politician and is currently the president of Boise State University. Kustra was born in St...
in the Republican primary but was defeated by Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Dick Durbin in the general election. In 1998, Salvi was the Republican candidate for secretary of state but was defeated by Democrat Jesse White
Jesse White (politician)
Jesse Clark White is a Democratic American politician. He is currently the 37th and second-longest serving Secretary of State of Illinois, after James A. Rose, and the first African American to hold this position....
.
In 1998, when Salvi was running for Illinois Secretary of State, campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
Peter Roskam
Peter Roskam
Peter James Roskam is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chief Deputy Whip in the 112th Congress, ranking fourth among house Republican leaders; also served in the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives.-Early life,...
asked the Illinois Comptroller's office for a list of state employees. At the time, Roskam told the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
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."
According to Federal Election Commission
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
records, Salvi, a conservative, has donated to several other conservative candidates, including Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
, Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
, and Peter Roskam
Peter Roskam
Peter James Roskam is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chief Deputy Whip in the 112th Congress, ranking fourth among house Republican leaders; also served in the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives.-Early life,...
.
Al Salvi is a personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. The term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit alleging that the plaintiff's injury has been caused by the negligence of another, but also arises in defamation...
attorney and a partner in the law firm Salvi, Roskam & Maher. He handles cases such as: automobile accidents and injuries, slip and fall, dog bites, medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
, personal injury, and litigation.
Salvi is the host of The Al Salvi Show, a local issues-oriented radio talk show which airs on WKRS
WKRS
WKRS is a radio station broadcasting a news talk information format. Licensed to Waukegan, Illinois, USA, the station is currently owned by NextMedia Group through its licensee NM Licensing LLC, and features programing from Citadel Media, Dial Global, and Westwood One.WKRS carries many popular...
AM 1220 in Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
the show had previously aired Monday through Friday. Al Salvi invited Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
David McSweeney, a candidate for the 8th Congressional District, on his program but the interview soon became confrontational. Salvi went on to call McSweeney the "sleaziest" person he had dealt with, that he "made an ass of himself," is "a nut" and "made Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
look like a choirboy." These statements were made during a primary in which his wife Kathy was an opponent of McSweeney.
In 2006, Salvi left his radio show on WKRS to pursue his legal career. He was replaced in the 10 AM to Noon time slot by Bruno Behrend, another WKRS radio host. In 2007, Salvi returned to WKRS and is on the air two days a week.
Electoral history
- 1998 Secretary of State election
- Jesse WhiteJesse White (politician)Jesse Clark White is a Democratic American politician. He is currently the 37th and second-longest serving Secretary of State of Illinois, after James A. Rose, and the first African American to hold this position....
(D), 57% - Al Salvi (R), 43%
- Jesse White
- 1996 U.S. Senate election
- Dick Durbin (D), 2,384,028, 56%
- Al Salvi (R), 1,728,824, 44%
- Steven H. Perry (Ref), 61,023, 1%
- Robin J. Miller (Lbt), 41,218 1%
- 1996 Republican Primary for U.S. Senate
- Al Salvi, 377,141, 48%
- Bob Kustra, 342,935, 43%
- Robert Marshall, 43,937, 6%
- Martin Paul Gallagher, 17,276, 2%
- Wayne S. Kurzeja, 10,356, 1%