After Pritzker endorsement, Edly-Allen surges past Yingling in campaign money
Former state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen significantly outraised state Rep. Sam Yingling in the final days of their respective campaigns ahead of the June 28 Democratic primary election for Illinois Senate District 31.
Since the last quarterly financial disclosure report, which covered January through March, Edly-Allen has received $403,011 in campaign contributions to Yingling's $107,500.
She also received the endorsement of Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month.
Yingling, a Grayslake resident who has represented Illinois' 62nd House District since 2013, reported 24 contributions since April 1, including $40,000 through two contributions from fellow state Rep. Joyce Mason, a Gurnee Democrat, and $10,000 from Teamsters Local 705, a union with about 17,000 members in the Chicago area.
Edly-Allen's total has come from just 12 contributions, nine of which were for $10,000 or more. The Libertyville resident received contributions of $59,900 each from four unions, including the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
The recent contributions wipe out Yingling's lead in cash on hand. Yingling's campaign started the second quarter with $109,000 compared to Edly-Allen's $11,000, according to state data.
Since Pritzker's June 1 endorsement, Edly-Allen has taken in $136,000, including $55,000 from Pritzker and $50,000 from state Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Democrat from Chicago's Southwest Side and the Senate president pro tempore.
Edly-Allen called the governor's endorsement an honor.
Yingling offered another take on the endorsement in a news release.
"As a gay man, I am used to being bullied," he said. "But, I did not expect to be attacked on the first day of Pride Month by a fellow Democrat."
Yingling and Edly-Allen have been competing for more than seven months now. Both candidates announced their candidacy on Dec. 17, just two days after state Sen. Melinda Bush announced she would not seek reelection. Bush has endorsed Edly-Allen in the race to succeed her.
The winner of the primary will face Adam Solano, a Third Lake Republican, in the Nov. 8 general election. The 31st district includes all or part of Antioch, Grayslake, Gurnee, Hainesville, Lake Villa, Libertyville, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek, the Round Lake communities, Third Lake, Volo, Wauconda and Waukegan.