Chris Lauzen, the Republican candidate for state comptroller, on Thursday will call on Democratic rival Dan Hynes to abide by voluntary campaign restrictions, including showing each other their television ads before they are aired.
Lauzen, a state senator from Aurora, will challenge Hynes to limit campaign spending to $1 million. He also wants Hynes to campaign with him across the state so that voters can make direct comparisons between the candidates for one of the more obscure offices on the November ballot.
Lauzen’s challenge is an attempt to blunt the advantages Hynes holds in the fall campaign. As the son of former Cook County assessor and Democratic power Thomas Hynes, Dan Hynes is expected to easily top Lauzen in fundraising and organization.
While Lauzen, in his statewide race, was burning up money in a spring primary, Hynes, who was unopposed in the primary, was socking away cash for the fall race. Hynes had $235,000 in the bank after the primary and has increased that amount. Lauzen said he has $50,000 to $100,000 on hand but still owes $150,000 from the primary.
“There’s no question that Danny Hynes and the political machine he comes from have the ability to raise two or three times what I can raise,” Lauzen said Wednesday. “But I don’t think that’s what people want. The people want an honest exchange.”
Other candidates this year have called for similar voluntary campaign reforms with little success.
The joint appearances, Lauzen said, will help make up for the fact that their race is unlikely to include televised debates.
“I don’t mean a handful of events,” Lauzen said. “I’m saying let’s go campaign together.”
