Suburban races for Springfield among most expensive

SPRINGFIELD — An analysis of campaign donations released Tuesday shows that a handful of suburban primary races for seats in the state capital are among the highest-priced in Illinois.

The report, released by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, shows the Republican GOP matchup in DuPage County between state Sen. Kirk Dillard and state Rep. Chris Nybo has drawn more than $500,000 in donations between them, second most in the state.

And the Barrington-area Republican primary battle between state Rep. Kent Gaffney of Lake Barrington, David McSweeney of Barrington Hills and Danielle Rowe of Island Lake is third in Illinois, at nearly $480,000 collectively, the report says.

Another DuPage County Illinois Senate race, between Republicans state Sen. Carole Pankau of Itasca and state Rep. Randy Ramey of Carol Stream, is in the top 10, too, tallying more than $300,000 combined.

The top race, for a Senate seat in a district that includes western Kane County, has attracted more than $580,000 in donations total between incumbent state Sens. Christine Johnson of Shabbona and Dave Syverson of Rockford.

Illinois Campaign for Political Reform Deputy Director David Morrison points out that most of the most contentious primary races in Illinois — and therefore the ones that have drawn the most campaign money — include Republican incumbent lawmakers.

Democrats drew a new political map for this year, often forcing some Republican incumbents into tough decisions to run against each other. No suburban Democratic primary for Springfield made the top 10 list.

In the suburbs, much of that campaign money is used for mail pieces that have been arriving in boxes throughout the area for weeks now. And Ramey, Pankau, Gaffney and McSweeney have all taken to the airwaves with television spots as they make a final push for votes in the March 20 primary.

Dillard and Nybo are competing for the 24th District Senate seat, which includes all or parts of Clarendon Hills, Darien, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Hinsdale, Lisle, Lombard, Oak Brook, Oakbrook Terrace, Villa Park, Westmont, Wheaton and Willowbrook.

Pankau and Ramey are vying for the 23rd Senate district, which contains parts of Carol Stream, Itasca, Bloomingdale, Villa Park, Addison and Bartlett.

And McSweeney, Gaffney and Rowe are wooing voters in the 52nd House district, which includes parts of Barrington, Island Lake, Oakwood Hills, Wauconda, North Barrington, Lake in the Hills, Fox River Grove, Trout Valley, Algonquin, Barrington Hills, South Barrington, Cary and Crystal Lake.