Where do GOP candidates sit with fundraising as Pritzker war chest grows?

With just eight weeks until the March 17 primary, campaign finance records show two Republican gubernatorial newcomers with more cash on hand than the party’s 2022 standard-bearer.

Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker continues to lead the pack with $23.3 million in the bank as of Dec. 31. The Chicago Democrat also gave $25.5 million to his campaign last quarter, according to Illinois State Board of Elections filings.

Former state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia, who won the 2022 GOP primary but lost to Pritzker in the general election, raised $151,371 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, spent $139,400, and ended the year with about $35,000 in the bank.

Fellow Republican hopefuls Ted Dabrowski of Wilmette and Rick Heidner of Barrington Hills each reported more than $1 million in funds as of Dec. 31.

Bailey running mate Aaron Del Mar said support for the campaign stayed strong even when operations were temporarily suspended after Bailey’s son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren died in an Oct. 22 helicopter crash in Montana.

Now, “it’s really been ramping up,” said Del Mar, who also ran for lieutenant governor in 2022.

“We couldn’t be more confident and we’re incredibly thankful for all the donors who’ve been supporting our campaign. It’s not how much you raise, it’s how you spend it,” he added.

Former Wirepoints chief Dabrowski’s campaign received $100,165 over the quarter, spent about $349,000 and finished with more than $1.2 million on hand.

Video gambling business owner Heidner’s campaign took in about $1,429,790, about $1 million of it from the candidate. Expenditures were nearly $270,000 and funds at the end of the year came to $1.16 million.

“We're pleased to see the strong momentum reflected in the latest fundraising reports: It proves that Illinois Republicans are done with career politicians who cannot win a general election,” Heidner spokesman Gabriel Llanes said. “This grass-roots energy, combined with his track record, shows why Rick is the leader Illinois needs to turn things around.”

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, a Republican who entered the governor’s race in February, received about $34,000 in contributions, spent $61,700 and has over $33,000 in the bank, fourth-quarter records indicated.

Former Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale noted that “money is critical in the general election for governor.

“But money in a GOP primary is less important and state Sens. Bill Brady in 2010 and Darren Bailey in 2022 have won (despite) being well outspent in the primaries,” added Dillard, who ran for governor in 2010 and 2014.

Dillard cited the 2022 primary, when Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin received significant donations from billionaire Ken Griffin but “received only 15% of the vote.” In the 2010 GOP primary, business owner Andy McKenna raised millions but finished behind Brady and Dillard.

Who’s giving and getting

• Pritzker transferred $72,800 each to the campaigns of Treasurer Mike Frerichs, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and $500,000 to the Democratic Party of Illinois.

• Bailey’s donations included $50,000 from business owner Gary Rabine, who led the gubernatorial ticket with Del Mar in 2022.

Two additional Republican gubernatorial candidates, Gregg Moore of Broadview and Joseph Severino of Lake Forest, were knocked off the ballot for insufficient signatures by the state board of elections in December but both are seeking judicial review.

Severino received over $61,000 in contributions, spent about $33,280, and reported nearly $27,770 at the end of the quarter.

Moore did not file a quarterly report.