When Bruce Rauner entered the race for governor in 2013, the popular rumor was that he was prepared to put $50 million into his own campaign. Rauner denied ever making that statement, but his campaign fund has surpassed the $50 million mark in total fund-raising and the latest quarterly reports indicate the 2014 gubernatorial campaign easily will be the most expensive ever.
In the third quarter of 2014 alone, Quinn and Rauner spent a combined $35 million, according to required quarterly reports filed this week with the Illinois Board of Elections. (See Quinn’s quarterly report here; Rauner’s is here.) Equally remarkable are the amounts Quinn and Rauner have raised in the quarter that began Oct. 1. Those donations aren’t included in the third-quarter reports.
Here’s a look at the quarterly reports for the gubernatorial candidates and those of candidates for the other four constitutional offices.
Governor
Between July 1 and Oct. 1, Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner received more than $20 million in donations and spent almost as much.
Since establishing his campaign fund in March 2013, Rauner has raised more than $52 million. Rauner has donated $17,076,000 to his own campaign. Not included in the latest quarterly report are two, $1.5 million donations from Rauner to his own campaign on Oct. 3 and Oct. 10. So far in October, the Rauner campaign has raised nearly $6.5 million.
Democratic incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn had more in reserve at the start of the third quarter reporting period than Rauner, with more than $11 million in the bank. But the Quinn campaign received and spent less than Rauner’s over the last three months. Quinn received more than $8 million in donations and spent more than $15 million. The campaign ended the reporting period with more money than Rauner, but Rauner has since donated $3 million dollars to his own campaign.
Since March 2013, Quinn has raised $22.6 million. Quinn has reported $1.2 million in donations so far in October. (At the time Rauner entered the race in March 2013, Quinn’s campaign fund had reported having $1.5 million on hand.)
Attorney General
On July 1 Republican attorney general candidate Paul Schimpf’s campaign had about $8,000 and after receiving and spending more than $68,000 through the reporting period, concluded the three months with about the same amount he started with.
Incumbent Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat, ended the three-month reporting period with only a little less money than she started with. July 1, the campaign had almost $5 million ready, and after almost $300,000 in donations and more than $800,000 in expenditures, Madigan had more than $4 million available.
Secretary of State
Mike Webster, Republican candidate for Illinois secretary of state, is ending the third-quarter reporting period with about $1,300. His campaign started the reporting period with about 10 times that amount, received $16,000 and spent almost $28,000.
Secretary of State Jesse White, a Democrat, is running for an unprecedented fifth term as Illinois’ Secretary of State. His campaign ended the reporting period with more money than they started with. The campaign received about $186,000 in donations and spent almost $116,000, meaning the end-of-quarter total was about $770,000, up from July 1′s $700,000.
Comptroller
Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka’s campaign for her reelection also ended the quarter with more money than it began it with. After almost $250,000 in donations, the Republican’s campaign had about $1.5 million ready to spend and spent about $70,000 over the last three months.
Democrat Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, who is running against Topinka for the position of Illinois’ comptroller, received $154,000 and spent almost $560,000 to end the quarter with almost $106,000.
Treasurer
Republican state Rep. Tom Cross, treasurer candidate, is the only candidate who is not an incumbent to end the quarter with more money than he started with, $615,000, up from $510,000. His campaign received $330,000 and spent $226,000.
Treasurer candidate Democratic state Sen. Michael Frerichs started the third quarter with more money than his opponent at about $1.3 million, but after receiving $420,000 and spending approximately $1.3 million, he ended the quarter with almost $414,000, less than Cross.
For the most part, candidates who are showing stronger in the polls had campaigns with more money than their opponents. Two of the only campaigns that ended the quarter with more money than they started with were White’s and Topinka’s, two strong incumbent candidates. The treasurer candidates’ campaigns (the only race without an incumbent) were the only two that did not follow this pattern. Cross ended the quarter with more money than he started. At the start of the quarter, he had less money than Frerichs and was doing better in the polls. But the end of the quarter, Cross had more money than Frerichs (though spent less during the quarter) and the polls showed the two candidates much more closely matched in the polls.
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