Bean foe got late help from big names, reports show
Recent Republican congressional hopeful Steve Greenberg received campaign cash from some prominent donors in the days before his Election Day showdown with Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean, federal records showed, but they couldn't help him at the polls.
In the campaign's final weeks, Federal Election Commission fundraising reports indicate he received money from benefactors including:
•Richard L. Duchossois, owner of the Arlington Park racecourse in Arlington Heights, who gave $1,000.
•Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's political action committee, which gave $2,300 over the course of the campaign.
•The Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas and other properties, and gave $2,300.
•Lake Zurich Mayor John Tolomei, who contributed $700 to Greenberg over the course of the campaign.
But the checks weren't enough to put Greenberg, a Long Grove business owner and first-time candidate, on top Nov. 4. Bean, of Barrington, won a third term representing the 8th District with more than 60 percent of the vote.
Bean outraised Greenberg from the start of the campaign.
According to the most recent FEC reports, which were filed last month and included donations and expenditures through Nov. 24, Bean had collected more than $3.1 million to spend on TV ads, radio spots, polling and other campaign expenses.
In contrast, Greenberg had raised slightly more than $900,000. His campaign committee ended the reporting period with about $13,000 in the bank and nearly $162,000 in debts, the FEC documents show.
Bean ended the period with $240,000 in the bank and only about $18,000 in debts, her FEC documents show.
None of Bean's backers during the campaign's final weeks stood out. They included retirees, an electrical engineer, attorneys and a Northwestern University economist, as well as political action committees representing a variety of industries.
Greenberg also received donations from a few political action committees, reports showed, but not nearly as many as Bean.
The 8th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.