House incumbents have big lead in campaign donations
Campaign finance reports that had to be filed by midnight Wednesday showed House incumbents facing primary challenges in the 54th and 59th Districts with big leads in donations for the reporting period that ended Dec. 31.
And in the 56th District, where no incumbent is on the ballot, the party-backed candidate had a big lead in the Republican primary. Healthcare attorney Ryan Higgins, 28, of Schaumburg, had raised $48,875.43 for his campaign, $2,500 of which came in this month. His opponent, 40-year-old preschool and day care administrator Anita Forte-Scott, trailed far behind with $7,514.42 - $5,000 of which came just this month from conservative activist Jack Roeser's Republican Renaissance PAC.
Forte-Scott's only other itemized individual contribution from anyone but an obvious family member was $300 from Schaumburg resident Peggy Reece.
Higgins' contributors included a significant number of dentists and dental firms. He explained that his father is a dentist, with many friends who are dentists.
Higgins also received a $250 donation from former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, for whom he once worked as a staffer.
Among Higgins' other contributions were $1,500 from the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois PAC, $15,000 from Dent-IL-PAC, $1,000 from Illinois Lawyers' PAC and $300 from Illinois Bank PAC.
In the race for the Republican nomination for the 54th District House seat, six-term incumbent state Rep. Suzie Bassi outpaced political newcomer Tom Morrison, with $66,000 in contributions compared to $48,000, according to filings with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Morrison, a 34-year-old small business owner from Palatine, relied almost exclusively on individual contributions, not unusual for a first-time candidate. The exception was $8,000 from the Republican Renaissance PAC and $250 from the Family PAC, which opposes abortion and new taxes.
Among Morrison's individual donations were $1,000 from Robert Bergman, whom Bassi, 64, succeeded. Pat Sutarik, defeated by Bassi in the 2004 GOP primary, gave $300 and the insurance agency started by the late 54th District state Rep. Bernie Pedersen donated $250.
Morrison also injected $8,500 from his own pocket into his campaign.
A former teacher and Palatine Township Elementary District 15 school board member, Bassi received several education-related contributions including $1,400 from Alliance PAC, a principals association, and $300 from REPAC/Retired Educators Association.
Bassi also received $635 from current District 15 board President Gerald Chapman and $2,000 from Harper College Trustee Rita Canning.
One notable group of donors represented the horse racing industry. Arlington Park contributed $3,500 to Bassi, who says she opposes video gambling but will consider slots at the racetrack, which is in her district. The Duchossois Group, led by Arlington Park Chairman Richard Duchossois, gave $2,500 and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association gave $550.
Bassi's biggest contribution came from Rose Packing CEO William Rose, who donated $11,800.
The biggest disparity between the two candidates relates to their coffers starting off 2010. Bassi, who already had nearly $16,000 as of July 1, reported nearly $50,000 in available funds, compared to $9,600 for Morrison.
In the state House 59th District, which includes parts of Lake and Cook Counties, incumbent Democrat Carol Sente of Vernon Hills, who was appointed to the seat last fall, led the fundraising by collecting nearly $33,424 in the second half of the year. Sente's Democratic primary opponent, Buffalo Grove Village President Elliott Hartstein, collected about $11,524 in donations.
On the Republican side, candidate Dan Sugrue of Green Oaks collected $11,199 in donations, while fellow Green Oaks Republican Mohan Manian reported receiving about $6,617.
• Daily Herald staff writers Eric Peterson, Kimberly Pohl and Russell Lissau contributed to this report.