Republicans have some catching up to do in suburban races, monetarily speaking
Political Editor
mriopell@dailyherald.com
Incumbent Democrats in the suburbs' three biggest races for Congress are heading toward November with sometimes sizable cash advantages that Republicans challengers will have to try to overcome, reports filed Tuesday show.
In the 11th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, a Naperville Democrat, raised $350,000 in the second three months of the year and reported having $1.4 million in the bank at the end of June.
Challenger Darlene Senger, a Naperville Republican state legislator, raised about $193,000 and had about $150,000 on hand in the same time period.
In the 8th District, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, raised $425,000 and had about $1.4 million available. U.S. Marine veteran Larry Kaifesh, a Carpentersville Republican, reported raising about $95,000 and had $51,000 in the bank.
The biggest political money in the suburbs is in the 10th District, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield reported last week having $1.9 million on hand and Republican challenger Bob Dold of Kenilworth said he had $1.65 million.
Big money numbers with fewer than four months to go in the campaign can show strength, but money isn't everything.
Dold outspent Schneider in their 2012 race and lost. Senger was outspent in the March primary and prevailed.
And in the Dold vs. Schneider rematch, both sides have already seen big assists from national sources, where each party has already worked to budget for TV advertising time later in the campaign season.
The 10th District includes northern Cook County and eastern and central Lake County. The 11th runs from Aurora in the West to Burr Ridge in the east and goes south to Joliet. The 8th District is centered in Schaumburg and includes mostly northwestern Cook and northern DuPage counties.