(The Center Square) – There is no shortage of funds this campaign season in Illinois as big money is not only being spent on the governor’s race but on other state races as well.
House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, reported raising $14 million in the third quarter alone, with $6 million of that coming from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Billionaire businessman Dick Uihlein has spent millions as well supporting GOP candidate for governor Darren Bailey and opposing the proposed Amendment One.
Now, several candidates running for the Illinois General Assembly are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on television ads.
“The Democrats do have huge fundraising advantages over Republicans in many races and overall, especially in statehouse races,” said Alisa Kaplan, executive director of the advocacy organization Reform for Illinois.
Kaplan said the governor and Welch have used campaign finance loopholes to bring in huge donations and distribute funds to state races.
One particular state Senate race has garnered a sizable financial attention.
Republican state Rep. Sandy Hamilton and Democratic state Sen. Doris Turner are facing off in a big money Illinois 48th Senate District race. Nearly $5 million in collective campaign funds have been reported in the race, according to Reform for Illinois.
In the Illinois Senate District 31 race between Republican Adam Solano and Democrat Mary Edly-Allen, Allen recently received more than $1 million from the Democratic Majority fund, according to IllinoisSunshine.org.
The amount of money raised for governor races this cycle nationwide is expected to approach $1.8 billion, and Illinois is the largest chunk of that. The most expensive race in the country is in the Land of Lincoln. Candidates have raised over $215 million. Much of that has come from Pritzker, who has self-financed over $132 million.
A large portion of the money is being spent on TV ads. Axios Chicago examined TV contracts at one Chicago television station from Oct. 26 to Nov. 6. Pritzker bought 324 spots for over $274,000 through this week. Bailey purchased 159 spots for roughly $134,000 through next week.
Kaplan said when it comes to money, ordinary voters have a very small role in influencing races, even smaller races for state representative.
“We’re seeing races that are dominated by people and organizations with very, very deep pockets, and we’re all just listening to what they think we should hear, so it’s very concerning,” she said.