Schneider's 3rd quarter fundraising, spending tops Dold's in 10th District race
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider's re-election committee raked in more than $1.1 million in campaign donations during the last three months, setting a new fundraising record for the 10th District.
Schneider's total this past quarter topped the $653,062 Republican challenger Robert Dold raised during the same period, newly filed Federal Election Commission disclosure reports show. Schneider has led his GOP rival each quarter this year.
"I'm honored by the amazing outpouring of support from people who want to end the gridlock in Washington and put the focus back on moving our country forward," Schneider, of Deerfield, said through a campaign spokeswoman.
Dold, of Kenilworth, set the previous fundraising record for a single quarter in 2012. Team Dold netted $993,509 in that year's third quarter, after some donations were returned, records indicate. It's typical for candidates to return some donations each period.
Schneider narrowly defeated Dold in 2012 to become the new representative for the 10th District, which includes parts of Cook and Lake counties.
Schneider also vastly outspent Dold in the latest reporting period. His campaign cut checks for more than $2 million between July 1 and Sept. 30, more than double the $832,757 Team Dold laid out.
Still, Dold spokeswoman Danielle Hagen didn't sound worried.
"We've seen a tremendous amount of contributions from voters across the political spectrum pouring in to our campaign during the last few weeks alone," Hagen said.
Candidates for national office must regularly file campaign disclosure forms with the FEC. They're viewable at fec.gov. The newest reports were filed this week.
Schneider's notable supporters during the quarter included:
• State Rep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook, who gave $1,000.
• Massachusetts songwriter and performer Tom Lehrer, who gave $600.
• Citigroup's political action committee, which gave $2,500.
• A Walmart political committee, which gave $2,500.
Schneider received the bulk of his donations through Act Blue, a Democratic Party fundraising organization. It funneled $633,923 in individual donations to his campaign, records show.
"Momentum continues to grow for Brad's campaign," spokeswoman Staci McCabe said in a news release. "People are excited to back Brad and send a clear message that they've had enough of Republican gridlock."
Combined with cash saved at the start of the period and after expenses, Schneider ended the period with about $980,000 in the bank. During the entire campaign, Team Schneider has collected nearly $4 million from donors.
Dold's campaign has raised about $2.9 million for the race so far, records show.
During the third quarter, Dold received checks from people and groups including:
• Retired astronaut James A. Lovell of Lake Forest, a regular Dold supporter who gave $45 this time.
• Chicago billionaire and philanthropist Jennifer Pritzker, who gave $1,000.
• Business owner and prolific GOP benefactor Richard Uihlein of Lake Forest, who gave $1,000.
• Home Depot's political committee, which gave $5,000.
After expenses, the Dold campaign finished the period with nearly $1.5 million in savings.
More than 80 percent of the individual contributions Dold received came from Illinois residents, Hagen said. She criticized Schneider for raising most of his money from outside the state.
"These people can't vote for him," she said.
Of course, none of the many people who live outside the 10th District and donated to Dold's campaign - including folks from Chicago, Wheaton and Dold's hometown of Kenilworth - can vote for him, either.