In suburban congressional races, GOP fundraising continues to lag behind Dems

In all but one race, the third-quarter fundraising efforts of the Republican congressional candidates running in the North, West and Northwest suburbs were far behind their Democratic rivals’, records show.

None of the eight GOP hopefuls collected contribution amounts close to what their opponents did between July 1 and Sept. 30, according to financial reports filed this month with the Federal Election Commission. That means far less cash for TV commercials, mailers, polling and other important campaign tools in the critical final weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3.

Only in the open 8th District race between former Democratic U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington and Republican Jennifer Davis of Huntley was there anything resembling parity. And even then, Bean significantly outraised her opponent while Davis spent more, records show.

As candidates from both parties spend millions on congressional contests elsewhere, Republican organizations and donors just don’t see the Chicago area’s races as good investments, said Melissa Mouritsen, a political science professor at the College of DuPage.

Not only does Illinois’ gerrymandered congressional map overwhelmingly benefit Democrats, but mid-decade redistricting efforts and the Democrats’ push against President Donald Trump are forcing the GOP to mount costly defenses of red House seats in Texas, Iowa and other states that once were thought impregnable, Mouritsen said.

“They do not have the bandwidth to come for these seats when they are such a long shot anyway,” she said.

Federal candidates who reach a $5,000 fundraising or spending threshold must regularly submit financial reports. Documents can be viewed at fec.gov.

3rd District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez of Chicago started July with about $946,000 in her campaign coffers. She raised about $138,000 and spent about $157,000 during the quarter, finishing September with more than $927,000 in the bank and no debts.

Republican Angel Oakley of Wheaton started the quarter with about $3,700 saved for the campaign. She raised less than $2,700 and spent about $5,400 during the period, records show, finishing September with less than $1,000. Oakley also reported $400 in debts to a vendor.

The 3rd District includes parts of Cook and DuPage counties.

5th District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, who’s also running for Chicago mayor in 2027, started July with nearly $1.2 million saved for his congressional race. He raised about $270,000 and spent about $327,000 in the three months that followed, leading to a Sept. 30 balance of more than $1.1 million and no debts.

Republican candidate Tommy Hanson of Chicago hasn’t filed any campaign finance reports this cycle.

The 5th District includes parts of Cook and Lake counties.

6th District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove started the quarter with nearly $1.3 million in the bank, and he raised about $363,000 during the period, records show. After spending nearly $408,000, Team Casten ended the quarter with more than $1.2 million on hand and nearly $456,000 in debts to the candidate that go back to 2017.

Republican Niki Conforti of Glen Ellyn started July with less than $23,000 in her campaign coffers. She reported raising about $33,000 and spending nearly $38,000 during the quarter, finishing September with less than $18,000 for the rest of the campaign.

The 6th District includes parts of Cook and DuPage counties.

8th District

Bean started the quarter with less than $145,000 in the bank, and went on to raise about $351,000, records show. After spending nearly $218,000, her campaign ended the quarter with less than $278,000 on hand and more than $391,000 in debts to the candidate and a vendor.

Davis started July with more than $730,000 in the bank, and her team raised about $237,000 during the quarter, records show. After spending more than $523,000, the Davis campaign ended the quarter with less than $445,000 on hand and more than $1 million in debts to the candidate.

The 8th District includes portions of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties.

9th District

Democrat Daniel Biss, who recently resigned as Evanston’s mayor, started the quarter with about $262,000 in his congressional campaign coffers. He collected nearly $434,000 and spent more than $127,000 during the period. Biss ended October with more than $568,000 on hand and no campaign debts.

Republican John Elleson of Arlington Heights hasn’t filed any documents with the FEC this cycle.

The 9th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

10th District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Highland Park started the quarter with about $1.7 million in the bank. He raised more than $568,000 and spent nearly $592,000 over the next three months and finished September with about $1.7 million saved and no campaign debts.

Republican Carl Lambrecht of Highland Park hasn’t filed reports with the FEC.

The 10th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

11th District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville started July with about $2.5 million saved for his latest reelection campaign. He raised about $355,000 and spent about $242,000 in the months that followed, leading to a Sept. 30 balance of about $2.6 million. Team Foster also reported more than $1 million in debts to the candidate that date back to 2008.

Republican Jeff Walter, who is Elburn’s mayor, started July with a less than $23,000 in the bank. He raised about $109,000 and spent nearly $118,000 during the quarter, records show. Team Walter finished the quarter with $14,000 in the bank and about $198,000 in debts to the candidate.

The 11th District encompasses portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.

14th District

Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville started the third quarter with about $1.1 million in her campaign war chest. She raised about $397,000 and spent nearly $326,000 during the period, finishing September with nearly $1.2 million saved and no debts.

Republican challenger Jim Marter of Oswego started July with less than $32,000 saved for the race. He raised more than $62,000 and spent more than $52,000 over the next three months, finishing the quarter with less than $42,000 for the final weeks of the race.

The 14th District includes parts of Kane, Will and five other counties southwest of Chicago.

rlissau@dailyherald.com

Democrats dominate fundraising

The Democratic candidates for suburban congressional seats have outraised their opponents since the current election cycle began. Here are estimates for what their campaigns had in the bank as of Sept. 30.

3rd District

· Delia Ramirez* (D): $927,000

· Angel Oakley (R): Less than $1,000

5th District

· Mike Quigley* (D): $1.1 million

· Tommy Hanson (R): No fundraising data

6th District

· Sean Casten* (D): $1.2 million

· Niki Conforti (R): $18,000

8th District

· Melissa Bean (D): $278,000

· Jennifer Davis (R): $445,000

9th District

· Daniel Biss (D): $568,000

· John Elleson (R): No fundraising data

10th District

· Brad Schneider* (D): $1.7 million

· Carl Lambrecht (R): No fundraising data

11th District

· Bill Foster* (D): $2.6 million

· Jeff Walter (R): $14,000

14th District

· Lauren Underwood* (D): $1.2 million

· Jim Marter (R): $42,000

* Denotes incumbent

Source: fec.gov