(Note: This is the first in a series of video interviews with 2010 congressional candidates who stop by the Roll Call offices. Over the course of the next year, we will feature interviews from as many top races as possible.)

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is the Democratic nominee running for President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat in Illinois. Polls show him in a competitive race with the GOP nominee, Rep. Mark Kirk, in the general election.

Giannoulias, a former professional basketball player in Europe, famously played ball with Obama when they were serving together in Illinois. The 33-year-old Democrat has often evoked Obama’s campaign in his bid.

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