Dold outraised Seals this summer, FEC reports show
Republican congressional candidate Robert Dold's fundraising efforts surged this summer, far exceeding the donations received by Democratic rival Dan Seals, new financial disclosure reports show.
Dold's campaign received an estimated $834,767 in donations between July 1 and Sept. 30, according to his latest Federal Election Commission report. During the same period, Seals' campaign collected about $639,143.
The increased local and national interest in Dold's campaign brings both 10th District candidates to nearly the same fundraising level each has collected about $2.3 million since the election cycle started last year.
The financial reports reflect growing interest in fundraising and volunteering for Dold, campaign spokesman John McGovern said.
“We are pleased with our strong fundraising results, which have only continued to grow throughout the campaign," he said in an e-mail. “Clearly, our donors and supporters feel increasingly confident about Bob's chances of victory, and we appreciate their generous support."
Seals spokeswoman Aviva Gibbs shrugged off the disparity.
“When you look at the whole cycle, we've raised nearly identical amounts of money," Gibbs said in an e-mail. “Dan had a very successful quarter and will continue to raise the support to communicate and get out the vote through election day."
The 10th District includes parts of Cook and Lake counties. It stretches from Lake Michigan into the North and Northwest suburbs.
Dold, a pest control company executive from Kenilworth, is a first-time candidate. Seals, a business consultant and university lecturer from Wilmette, is running for the third time.
The district is now served by Highland Park Republican Mark Kirk, who's giving up the post to run for the U.S. Senate.
Candidates running for the U.S. House must file financial disclosure forms with the Federal Elections Commission every three months. The reports for Dold, Seals and other candidates are at www.fec.gov.
The newest forms cover donations received and expenditures made between July 1 and Sept. 30.
Dold started July with $747,704 in the bank, not too far behind Seals' $792,021.
Dold's donations during the third quarter came from all over the country, his FEC report shows.
He reported a handful of donations from other pest-control company executives, including ones at firms in Georgia, North Carolina and Rhode Island.
Notable Dold supporters included:
ŸFormer Vice President Dan Quayle, who gave $2,400. Dold formerly worked for Quayle.
ŸChicago Cubs owner Thomas Ricketts, who gave $2,400. Other members of the Ricketts family donated to the campaign, too.
ŸBaxter CEO Vernon Loucks Jr., who gave $2,400.
ŸCDW founder Michael Krasny, who gave $2,400.
Dold also received financial contributions from several prominent Republican leaders and organizations. They included:
ŸKirk, who gave $400.
ŸFormer Lt. Governor Corrine Wood, who gave $1,000.
ŸSeveral political-action committees created by current GOP lawmakers. Those donations totaled thousands of dollars.
Dold spent $604,347 on hotels, stickers, office supplies, staff salaries and other expenses during the same period. The campaign ended September with $978,820 in the bank.
The Seals campaign's quarterly report had a lower total than Team Dold's but no shortage of donors.
Prominent supporters included:
Actress and singer Barbara Streisand, who gave $1,000.
Movie producer and Chicago native Ed Zwick, who gave $2,000.
Men's Warehouse CEO George Zimmer, who gave $1,000.
State Sen. Susan Garrett of Lake Forest, who gave $250.
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook, who gave $900.
Former Illinois comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Dawn Clark Netsch, who gave $500.
Former U.S. senator and gubernatorial candidate Adlai E. Stevenson III, who gave $500.
Seals also received thousands of dollars in campaign donations that were funneled through the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a Democratic Party fundraising website called Act Blue.
And like Dold, Seals received thousands from political action committees. Those donors included the AFL-CIO, the American Hospital Association, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and a group called the Midwest Values PAC that was founded by former comedian and rookie Minnesota Senator Al Franken.
The Seals campaign spent $830,332 during the period and finished September with $601,662 in the bank.
Although this report was the last quarterly FEC filing before Election Day for the candidates, they still must record donations of $1,000 received between now and Oct. 30. Those reports will be available at www.fec.gov, too.