Top Fundraising Races in the 2008 Primary
Cross posted from ICPR's blog, The Race is On:
With just a few days to go before Tuesday’s state primary election, the largest fundraising totals are being racked up by candidates seeking the Democratic Party nomination in General Assembly districts where the party nomination is tantamount to a general election victory.
According to an Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) analysis of contribution reports, the five Democratic candidates in Chicago’s 26th House District could amass enough money to break the state record of $479,000 spent in a House primary election.
Top Five House Contests (Cash on hand January 1, 2007 and all reported fundraising since)
26th District Democratic - $861,300
Jeffries, Elga (I)- $31,300
Chadha, Paul - $81,600
Jackson, Philip - $58,200
Burns, William - $291,300
Johnson, Kenny(a) - $399,000
25th District Democratic - $333,300
Currie, Barbara Flynn (I)- $333,300
Latiker, Sharon - $0
49th District Republican - $261,500
Schmitz, Timothy (I) - $178,300
Krenz, James - $83,200
9th District Democratic - $248,300
Walton, Dorothy - $10,400
Turner, Art (I) - $227,900
92nd District Democratic - $225,500
Mayer, G. Allen - $128,200
Gordon, Jehan - $97,300
(a) Since candidate Kenny Johnson ran for alderman in the Spring, 2007 elections, his totals reflect only cash on hand on July 1 and all reported fundraising since.
The five candidates in the 26th District (see chart above) have received at least $861,300 to date. Rep. Elga Jeffries, the incumbent, has reported only $31,300 in contributions, the lowest total of the five candidates. The $399,000 in contributions to the campaign of Kenny Johnson is the highest of the five candidates in the 26th District, as well as the highest of any House candidate in a contested primary so far this year. Will Burns, who has reported $291,300 in contributions, is the second highest in the 26th District.
For more information about contributions to all of these campaigns, visit ICPR’s website (www.ilcampaign.org) and the Sunshine Database, a powerful search tool and the only database that has standardized the names of all donors to Illinois candidates. The webiste also is home to the Illinois Voters’ Guide, a non-partisan guide to candidates running for seats on the Illinois supreme, appellate and circuit courts.
In addition to campaigns poised to break fundraising records, ICPR’s analysis also found a few candidates in House races reporting no income or expenditures, and at least one may have misrepresented receipts and expenditures on disclosure reports.
Sharon Latiker, running a second time against incumbent Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie in the 25th District, has not formed or activated a political committee, a step required by any candidate raising or spending more than $3,000.
In the 10th District, Rep. Annazette Collins reported raising and spending no funds at all for the past 13 months. Other political committees, however, reported giving her campaign $20,000. It appears that she is severely under–reporting her campaign resources. If she were to report receipts and expenditures, it is likely that the 10th District Race would crack the Top Five. Her challenger, Eddie Winters, reports $155,700.
In both House and Senate primaries, many of the contests are in areas of the City of Chicago that saw turnover in last year’s aldermanic races.
Top Five Senate Contests
(Cash on hand January 1, 2007 and all reported fundraising since)
20th District Democratic - $609,800
Martinez, Iris (I)- $469,500
Bradley, Richard - $117,800
Guevara, Carlos - $22,400
5th District Democratic - $500,600
Hendon, Rickey (I)- $273,000
Bedi, Jonathan- $181,800
Mertens, Amy Sue - $45,800
36th District Democratic - $319,900
Rumler, Paul - $29,800
Jacobs, Mike(I)- $290,100
2nd District Democratic - $282,900
Moreno, Proco "Joe" - $142,600
Delgado, William (A-I) -$140,400
41st District Republican - $269,100
Radogno, Christine (I)- $246,400
Abbott, Greg - $11,000
Bartoz, Brian- $11,800
In Cook County races, two stand out for fundraising. The announcement by incumbent State’s Attorney Dick Devine that he will retire after 12 years in office has prompted a free-for-all among factions of Chicago politics. Five of the six candidates in the Democratic primary have raised more than $500,000, and total fundraising among the Democrats has reached $4.3 million (Republican Tony Peraica is unopposed in his primary, but reports $251,700 in fundraising).
The race for the Democratic nomination to the Board of Review in the 2nd District could have significant spending . The election is between incumbent (and Cook County Democratic Party Chair) Joseph Berrios and challenger Jay Paul Deratany. However, predictions are complicated by Berrios’ holding of $1.3 million in investments in one of his funds. While it seems unlikely he would spend that much, his challenger reports $672,600 in funds raised, and this race could easily surpass $1 million.
Top Contested Cook County Contests
(Cash on hand January 1, 2007 and all reported fundraising since)
State’s Attorney Democratic - $4,289,100
Allen, Tom(b) - $1,161,500
Alvarez, Anita - $711,800
Brookins Jr, Howard(b) - $577,700
Suffredin, Larry - $996,600
Milan, Robert- $804,700
Brewer, Tommy - $35,900
Board of Review, 2nd District (D) - $2,542,000
Berrios, Joseph (I) - $1,869,400
Deratany, Jay Paul - $672,600
Recorder of Deeds Democratic - $767,600
Moore, Eugene (I)- $494,500
Smith, Ed(b)- $273,100
(b) Since candidates Tom Allen, Howard Brookins, and Ed Smith ran for alderman in the Spring, 2007 elections, their totals reflect only cash on hand on July 1 and all reported fundraising since.
ICPR will have updates of these numbers, and judicial races, between now and next Tuesday's election.
