Krishnamoorthi raises 11 times as much money as DiCianni in 8th Dist. race
In their race for Illinois' 8th Congressional District seat, Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg had raised more than 11 times as much campaign money as Republican Pete DiCianni of Elmhurst as of the end of September.
But both candidates denied that money alone would be a deciding factor in the Nov. 8 election.
In their most recent reports, Krishnamoorthi's campaign showed $3.3 million had been raised as of Sept. 30, while DiCianni's had raised $290,173.
Furthermore, Krishnamoorthi's report showed 3,639 itemized individual contributions from donors coast-to-coast, while DiCianni's recorded 212 such contributions from donors exclusively from Illinois though not necessarily all within the borders of the 8th District.
The candidates' campaign finance reports can be found at the Federal Election Commission's website at fec.gov.
Krishnamoorthi insisted that the majority of his support comes from Illinois - including from Peoria where he grew up. But he said the national influence of a congressional seat is likely to draw the attention of those across America who see his message of championing the middle class and his ability to make Congress more diverse as a boon.
"I'm very grateful for the support of thousands and thousands of people," Krishnamoorthi said. "I'm grateful to be able to get my message out."
He said such campaign money is necessary to fund everything from pizza for volunteers to TV commercials in an expensive media market. And raising such funds requires much hard work, he added.
"There's no formula or magic to it," Krishnamoorthi said.
DiCianni said he's accustomed to being outspent in campaigns, which didn't stop his bids for Elmhurst mayor and DuPage County Board member.
"I've always been an independent voice for all my voters," DiCianni said. "No one can accuse me of being purchased. I'm the change candidate in this race. I'm my own guy."
DiCianni concedes that he wishes he had as much campaign money as his opponent to ensure a level playing field, but said he doesn't understand why a race to represent the people should have to require such massive financial resources. He said he's proud that all his contributors are local people who know and respect him.
"The advantage is (Krishnamoorthi's) all over TV, but we're going to go door-to-door and phone call. ... It's all about the voter and being their voice."
Krishnamoorthi responded that those methods are a big part of his campaign as well. In fact, the 3,000 doors he's knocked on in the district are part of the reason he's been able to garner the support he has, he said.
The 8th District is roughly centered in Schaumburg and includes parts of northwest Cook, northeast DuPage and northeast Kane counties.