# Al Salvi

Albert J. Salvi III (born April 25, 1960) is an American attorney, politician, and former radio talk show host. He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and was a Republican nominee for the United States Senate and Illinois Secretary of State. He is the managing partner of the Illinois law firm Salvi & Maher, a personal injury law firm headquartered in Libertyville, and with branch offices in Chicago, Richmond and Waukegan. Salvi has been practicing law for 39 years, and is considered one of the nation's top litigation attorneys.

## Early life and education

Salvi was born in Evanston, Illinois, into a large family well known for their success in law and music. He was raised in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in government from the University of Notre Dame in 1982 and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1985. Salvi was admitted to the Illinois State Bar the same year. He was also admitted to the State Bar of California in 1987 and became licensed in Wisconsin in 2015.

## Career

In 1986, Salvi ran for the United States House of Representatives in Illinois's 19th congressional district, but lost to Terry L. Bruce.
Salvi was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1992, representing the 52nd district, which was based in western Lake County. He served as Representative until 1996, when he left his seat to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by two-term Democrat Paul Simon. In his Senate run, Salvi defeated Lieutenant Governor Bob Kustra in the Republican primary, but was defeated by U.S. Representative Dick Durbin in the general election.
In 1998, Salvi ran for Illinois Secretary of State. He defeated State Representative Robert W. Churchill in the Republican primary, but lost in the general election to Democrat Jesse White.
Salvi has donated to several Republican Party candidates, including Alan Keyes, Dan Quayle, and Peter Roskam.
Salvi is a personal injury attorney and a partner in the law firm Salvi & Maher. He handles cases such as automobile accident injuries, slip and fall, medical malpractice, personal injury, dog bites, and litigation.
He was the host of The Al Salvi Show, an issues-oriented radio talk show which aired on WKRS AM 1220 in Waukegan, Illinois, when this station aired a news-talk format. In 2006, he left his radio show on WKRS to further 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 temporarily returned to WKRS and was on the air two days a week.

## Electoral history

* 1998 Secretary of State election
** Jesse White (D), 1,874,626, 55.46%
** Al Salvi (R), 1,437,420, 42.53%
** Sandra Millatti (RF), 67,696, 2%
* 1998 Secretary of State Republican primary
** Al Salvi, 365,880, 53.0%
** Robert W. Churchill, 324,529, 47.0%
* 1996 U.S. Senate election
** Dick Durbin (D), 2,384,028, 56.09%
** Al Salvi (R), 1,728,824, 40.67%
** 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%
* 1994 Illinois House of Representatives election, District 52
** Al Salvi (R), 20,947, 79.47%
** Jayna Ashbacher (D), 5,410, 20.53%
* 1992 Illinois House of Representatives election, District 52
** Al Salvi (R), 31,817, 100%