SEIU drops another $500,000 in Preckwinkle mayoral campaign
SEIU Illinois State Council is dropping another $500,000 into Toni Preckwinkle's mayoral campaign as she struggles to recoup from being dragged into the federal corruption scandal that threatens to bring down Alderman Edward Burke.
The new money brings the union's contribution to Preckwinkle to $1.5 million with more money on the way.
Four years ago, SEIU and its affiliates around the country contributed $3.5 million to Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's 2015 campaign that forced Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff but came up short.
Jerry Morrison, assistant to the president of SEIU Local 1, said the $500,000 contribution to Preckwinkle's campaign was decided long before a criminal complaint accused Burke of muscling a $10,000 contribution to Preckwinkle's re-election campaign for County Board president from a Burger King franchise owner whom Burke also allegedly shook down for legal business.
Preckwinkle's campaign has been scrambling for nearly a week to explain why the $10,000 campaign contribution that Burke allegedly strong-armed from Burger King franchise owner was publicly reported only after the feds lowered the boom on Chicago's most powerful and longest-serving alderman.
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