Sauerberg loans U.S. Senate campaign $1.3 million

WASHINGTON -- Republican Senate candidate Steve Sauerberg has loaned at least $1.3 million from his personal fortune to his campaign to unseat two-term Sen. Dick Durbin, but still lags far behind in the money race seven months ahead of their faceoff in the November general election.

Durbin, the Senate's second-highest ranking Democrat, reported having $7.3 million at the end of March, the closing date for the latest filing required by the Federal Election Commission.

While he had no opponent in the Feb. 5 primary, Durbin raised more than he spent from mid-January onward, collecting about $442,000 while tallying $237,000 in expenses.

Sauerberg, meantime, had just over $1.07 million in cash on hand in his campaign fund after spending almost $190,000 since his last report in mid January and taking in about $133,000 during the period. He loaned the campaign about $1 million after previously providing a loan of about $300,000.

A family physician and political newcomer, Sauerberg received the endorsement of the Illinois Republican Party before the primary, which he won with 44 percent of the vote while outspending his two opponents -- an unemployed trucker and a freelance writer -- by a better than 10-1 margin.

Although Sauerberg trails Durbin considerably in cash flow, he does have an advantage over Durbin's last GOP opponent, state Rep. Jim Durkin. After his primary victory six years ago, Durkin had virtually no money and never raised enough to pay for any radio or television ads.

Besides the money lead he already has, Durbin can still capture funds from the Senate Democrats' fundraising machine, which has far more money than national Republicans have for their own candidates.

Sauerberg, who practiced medicine in Chicago's suburbs, has said he realizes the campaign against Durbin will cost millions of dollars. His net worth appears to be as much as $7 million, based on financial disclosure reports.

Reports available from for other House races in Illinois showed:

;bull; Freshman Republican Rep. Peter Roskam has Democrat Jill Morgenthaler, a former homeland security adviser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, beat on the money front by about an 8-1 margin. Morgenthaler had only $127,000, while Roskam had almost $1 million, according to the report, although Morgenthaler's campaign said she filed an amended report Tuesday that boosted her total to $163,000.

The late GOP conservative Henry Hyde held the seat representing suburbs in the area of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for 32 years before he retired in 2007.

As Hyde's hand-picked successor and an incumbent, Roskam had a jump-start on fundraising over Morgenthaler, said her campaign manager Bill Romjue.

"We're very happy with our progress," Romjue said. "We started off behind but we really think this thing is doable."

;bull; The two millionaires running for the seat once held by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert have loaned their respective campaigns nearly $5 million. Scientist Bill Foster, who won the special election prompted by Hastert's early retirement, has loaned his campaign about $1.9 million. GOP businessman Jim Oberweis, who has already spent millions of his own money on unsuccessful races for governor and U.S. senator, has loaned his congressional bid $2.8 million so far.

At the end of March, Foster had about $263,000 left, while Oberweis had about $133,000.

;bull; Business consultant Dan Seals, preparing to take on Rep. Mark Kirk in the general election for the second time in two years, is restarting his campaign with about $745,000 on hand after a Democratic primary battle. The report for Kirk, a moderate Republican who represents the increasingly Democratic northwest suburbs of Chicago, was not immediately available.

The fall contest is expected to cost both candidates millions of dollars in what some say should be one of the most costly congressional races in the nation.

;bull; GOP incumbent Rep. John Shimkus of Collinsville leads Democratic opponent Daniel Davis of Chatham with a money advantage of 1,000-to-1. Shimkus had $1.4 million to Davis' not quite $1,400, records showed.

Davis' campaign Web site describes the boyish looking candidate, who is in his mid 20s, as both intelligent and a dreamer.