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Dold victory came in spite of $1 million spending gap

Kenilworth Republican Robert Dold won election to Congress last month despite being outspent by more than $1 million, federal records show.

In the heated campaign for the 10th District seat, Dold's campaign spent about $3.5 million through Nov. 24, according to postelection finance reports filed this month with the Federal Election Commission.

That includes an estimated $1.2 million between Oct. 16 and Nov. 24, the documents show, a roughly five-week period that includes the Nov. 4 election.

Dold's opponent, Democratic incumbent Brad Schneider of Deerfield, spent $4.7 million through Nov. 24, records show. About $1 million of that was spent between Oct. 16 and Nov. 24.

Dold campaign spokeswoman Danielle Hagen said the GOP's grass-roots operation and Dold's bipartisan message pushed him over the top "despite being outspent on the television airwaves."

Dold's win shows money isn't the only factor when it comes to winning a campaign, said Kent Redfield, a political expert and professor emeritus at University of Illinois at Springfield.

"Candidates with money always beat candidates without money, but the candidate with the most money does not always win," Redfield said. "Some of the biggest spenders in any congressional election cycle are losing incumbents."

Dold takes over as the representative for the 10th District on Jan. 3. He previously held the seat for one term, from 2011 to 2013.

Schneider narrowly won the job in November 2012 and served one term. He was the first Democrat to represent the 10th District since Abner J. Mikva in the 1970s.

Candidates for national office must regularly file campaign disclosure forms with the FEC. They're available for public review at fec.gov.

Dold raised $277,901 between Oct. 16 and Nov. 24. Notable supporters during the period included:

• Former astronaut James A. Lovell, who gave $1,000.

• Former Libertyville Mayor Jeff Harger, who gave $1,000.

• Casino magnate Sheldon G. Adelson, who gave $2,600.

• The campaign committee for U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Wheaton Republican, which gave $2,000.

During the entire campaign, Dold raked in $3.4 million through Nov. 24, records show.

Schneider did far better, collecting $4.9 million during the campaign.

In the five-week period covered in the most recent reports, Schneider raised $560,989 - more than double Dold's amount.

Schneider's supporters during the period included:

• Former U.S. Sen. Adlai E. Stevenson III, who gave $200.

• Former Buffalo Grove Mayor Elliott Hartstein, who gave $200.

• Planned Parenthood's political action committee, which gave $1,900.

• The campaign committee for U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, a Naperville Democrat, which gave $2,000.

As in the past, Schneider received the bulk of his donations during the period through Act Blue, a Democratic Party fundraising organization. It funneled an estimated $420,608 in individual donations to his campaign, records show.

Hagen noted that most of the people who wrote checks to Dold were Illinois residents, as opposed to the substantial out-of-state assistance Schneider received.

"That further demonstrates the broad base of support that Bob Dold built among Democrats, Republicans and independents across the 10th District," she said.

The University of Illinois at Springfield's Redfield studied the money in the 10th District race. Including expenditures from independent political action committees working on the candidates' behalf, the contest was the third-most expensive congressional race in the country, he said, with nearly $19 million spent.

Dold benefitted from millions spent by outside groups including American Unity, Defending Main Street, the Congressional Leadership Fund and the National Republican Congressional Committee, according to opensecrets.org.

Schneider got outside help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the House Majority committee and the Human Rights Campaign, records show.

Schneider campaign manager Jamie Patton criticized the "flood of outside Republican spending" that buoyed Dold's campaign.

"Republican super PACs spent millions to get a reliable Republican vote and unfortunately, they succeeded," Patton said.

But it wasn't just the money that got Dold elected, Redfield said. The public dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama and Schneider's failure to build a strong connection to the district also were factors, he said.

"Incumbents can always raise money, but if the voters have tuned an incumbent out, the extra marginal dollar raised will not help turn the tide," Redfield said.

Robert Dold, left, and Brad Schneider
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