U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) each reported more than $1 million in cash on hand to defend their north and northwest suburban seats next year, but Southwest Side Rep. Dan Lipinski found himself behind one of his challengers in fundraising Monday.
Meanwhile, in Kane County, Sugar Grove millionaire Jim Oberweis and Aurora state Sen. Chris Lauzen, both Republicans, both dumped $325,000 from their own bank accounts into bids to succeed retiring former Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Illinois is shaping up as a congressional battleground next year, with two hotly contested suburban races and the retirements of Hastert, Democratic Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria and Republican Rep. Jerry Weller of Morris.
Candidates gave voters a snapshot of their campaign coffers Monday, filing federal reports detailing how much cash they raised and spent from July through September.
In the north suburban 10th District race, Kirk, a Highland Park resident seeking his fifth term in Congress, raised more than $525,000 over the last three months, more than either of his potential Democratic challengers, marketing consultant Dan Seals of Wilmette and former White House adviser Jay Footlik of Vernon Hills.
Kirk had more than $1.5 million in his campaign kitty at the end of the reporting period, reports showed.
Seals, who nearly upset Kirk a year ago in his maiden political campaign, focusing on the war in Iraq, raised an estimated $300,000 during the third quarter, giving him close to $500,000. Footlik, an adviser on Jewish affairs under President Bill Clinton, raised nearly $200,000, bringing his contributions to around $480,000.
In the northwest suburban 8th District, two-termer Bean of Barrington had about $1 million in her fund after raising about $377,000.
Bean’s primary opponent, Randi Scheurer of Lindenhurst, did not file a financial report because she didn’t raise $5,000.
Bean’s leading Republican opponent, Long Grove businessman Steven Greenberg, has raised about $180,000 since he announced his campaign in July. Republicans Kirk Morris of Gurnee, the father of a Marine killed in Iraq, and Ken Arnold, a health benefits consultant from Gurnee, did not file.
Chicago’s 3rd District race witnessed a rarity: a challenger raising more than the incumbent in a primary. Mark Pera, a Cook County assistant state’s attorney, raised $100,000 for the third quarter. Lipinski raised $76,000. The second-term incumbent still leads in cash on hand, $321,000 to $180,000.
Pera is running an aggressive campaign to Lipinski’s left, criticizing the congressman’s opposition to legalized abortion and his push for compromise with Republicans over changing course in the Iraq war.
In the far west suburban 14th District, Oberweis and Lauzen are virtually tied in the amount of cash on hand. Lauzen had $528,000 left as of Sept. 30 after spending only $17,000, while Oberweis had $178,000 left and announced he added another $325,000 Monday. Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns raised about $68,000 and had $51,000 left.
On the Democratic side, retired physicist Bill Foster raised the most at nearly $209,000, and added $200,000 of his money. Geneva attorney Jotham Stein collected $61,600 to push his total to $105,000, but he had less than $34,000 left. John Laesch, who lost to Hastert in November, raised $45,000 and had about $20,000 left.
In central Illinois, LaHood’s retirement has attracted three Republican hopefuls. State Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) led with nearly $376,000 raised, while former Peoria councilman John Morris reported collecting $218,000. The Democratic candidate, former basketball coach Dick Versace, said he would spend a large amount of his own money.
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