Rep. Quigley getting campaign cash from defense contractors, records show
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley - a Chicago Democrat and member of the House committee that oversees the nation's intelligence agencies - received substantial campaign support last quarter from companies with defense contracts, federal records show.
Donations from such firms - including the Lockheed Martin Corp., the Boeing Co. and Motorola Solutions - totaled at least $26,000 during the period, Quigley's year-end fundraising report revealed. That's about 22% of all the campaign donations made last quarter to Quigley, who represents the predominantly suburban 5th District.
A Quigley spokeswoman didn't respond to interview requests.
Congressional candidates must file quarterly reports with the Federal Election Commission once their campaigns collect or spend at least $5,000. Year-end reports covering Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 were due last week and can be viewed at fec.gov.
Redrawn for the 2022 election, the 5th District cuts diagonally through Cook and Lake counties between Chicago's Near North Side and the Barrington area. It encompasses sections of towns including Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Deer Park and Lake Zurich.
Quigley has held the seat since 2009 and is seeking reelection this year. He has two challengers: Democrat Raleigh Bowman of Chicago and Republican Malgorzata McGonigal of North Barrington.
Among his assignments in Congress, Quigley serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees components of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, among others.
The Quigley for Congress committee started October with more than $1.1 million in the bank, and it collected about $115,687 in donations during the period.
Of that latter sum, only about $24,186 came from individuals. The vast majority - $91,500 - came from political action committees representing a variety of industries and interests.
Many were businesses specializing in military weaponry and materiel, including:
• Boeing, an aerospace and weapons giant that gave Quigley $2,000 last quarter.
• General Dynamics, which makes jets, tanks, naval ships and more and gave $2,500.
• L3 Harris Technologies, which makes communications systems and other equipment for the military and gave Quigley $2,500.
• Lockheed Martin, an aerospace and weapons manufacturer that gave $1,500.
Other Quigley donors that have or have had Defense Department deals include:
• AT&T, which gave $3,000.
• Comcast Corp., which gave $4,000.
• Exelon Corp., which gave $2,500.
• Motorola Solutions, which gave $2,500.
Quigley's campaign received thousands in donations from companies and groups in other industries, too, including Amazon, the American Postal Workers Union, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Prudential Financial.
Team Quigley spent more than $76,553 in the quarter - about 66% of what it took in during the period. The campaign's single biggest expense was a $30,000 payment to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the premier campaigning and fundraising group for House Democrats.
Quigley's campaign also spent about $43,053 on operational expenses such as consulting fees, software and office supplies.
The group reported no debt.
Bowman's campaign committee started the quarter with less than $479 and reported receiving $366 in donations from individuals. The committee spent nearly $518, finished December with less than $272 saved and reported about $164 in debt to the candidate.
A Bowman campaign representative declined to comment.
McGonigal filed a statement of organization declaring her candidacy with the FEC after the quarter ended and didn't submit a year-end fundraising report.
The primary is June 28. The general election is Nov. 8.
Candidates will make their campaigns official by filing nominating petitions with the state in March.