Foreshadowing an expensive and furious sprint to the Election Day finish line, state and national political party organizations have poured big money into Illinois campaigns, including a pivotal Downstate race for Supreme Court.
The national Republican and Democratic parties have sent hundreds of thousands of dollars into Illinois as the battle for control of the state’s House and Senate heat up in the final two weeks, according to campaign disclosures filed Monday.
State candidates are required to report all receipts between July 1 and Oct. 8. Up until the Nov. 7 election, they also must report contributions of $500 or more within two days of when they were received.
The unusual race getting a major last-minute cash infusion from Democrats is Illinois Supreme Court’s 3rd District, where controversial Republican Justice James Heiple is retiring. Democrats already hold a 4-3 majority on the Supreme Court. But one more seat on the court might give Democrats an extra assurance in case any justice strays from the party position on key political issues.
The biggest partisan issue for lawmakers every 10 years is how to draw new boundaries for state legislative districts. The last map was tilted toward Republicans but was upheld even though Democrats held the court’s majority.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, the Chicago Democrat who is state party chairman, wants a fifth Democratic seat on the court, a move that would shift the balance of the court to 5-2 in favor of Democrats for the first time since 1964.
Disclosures show Democratic candidate Tom Kilbride, a Rock Island attorney, has received more than $340,000 in cash and in-kind donations from the state Democratic Party alone since July 1, mostly in the last two weeks.
“He’s a terrific candidate, and it’s a race that organized labor activists brought to our attention,” said Steve Brown, Madigan’s spokesman. “We’re happy to be supportive.”
The Republican candidate, Sen. Carl Hawkinson of Galesburg, has received close to $230,000 overall in cash and in-kind donations since July 1. Among several contributions from fellow legislators is $51,000 from a fund controlled by Senate President James “Pate” Philip (R-Wood Dale).
Hawkinson also has received $15,000 in cash from the Illinois Republican Party and another $15,000 in in-kind donations from consultants who advised him on fundraising. Hawkinson’s other big donations include $25,000 from the Illinois Education Association and $10,000 from Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria.
With the help of national party money, Illinois Democratic and Republican leaders had millions of dollars to spread among legislative races throughout the state and are expected to rake in more cash in the final two weeks of the campaign.
For Democrats, party money pouring from Washington ranged from big individual donations of $250,000 from the Democratic Senatorial Committee to $165,825 from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
For Republicans, large individual contributions included $455,000 from the GOP National State Elections Committee and $250,420 from a National Republican Congressional Committee.
