Cabonargi is best-funded in Cook County court clerk race, records show
One Democratic candidate for Cook County circuit court clerk has been far better financed than the three others, state records indicate.
In fact, the cash in Michael Cabonargi's campaign war chest at the end of 2019 was more than double the combined sum his rivals had saved by the same date.
The Democrats running in the March 17 primary are: Cabonargi, a Wilmette resident and the chairman of the Cook County board of review; former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin of Oak Park; state Sen. Iris Martinez of Chicago; and attorney Jacob Meister of Chicago.
The winner will face Republican Barbara Bellar of Burr Ridge in November.
Longtime Democratic incumbent Dorothy Brown isn't seeking reelection.
The clerk is the official keeper of records for all judicial matters in Cook County. The office has an annual operating budget of more than $100 million and more than 1,400 employees, according to its website.
Candidates for county office must file quarterly disclosure reports once their donations reach certain thresholds. Additionally, donations of $1,000 or more must be reported as they come in.
Reports are viewable online at elections.il.gov.
The most recent quarterly reports covered money received and spending made between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.
Cabonargi collected about $182,797 in donations during that period.
Most of that cash came from just two sources: the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management Political Action Committee and the Regional Council of Carpenters' political committee. Each labor union group gave Team Cabonargi $57,800.
Cabonargi also received $62,397 from individual donors.
After $93,904 in spending, Cabonargi ended 2019 with $661,816 saved and no debt.
Meister, who first ran for the post in 2016, reported $130,616 in campaign revenue during the last three months of the year. The bulk of that was a $100,000 loan from the candidate.
Meister also received $28,116 in donations from individuals and $2,500 from state Rep. Andre Thapedi's campaign committee, records show.
After $80,643 in spending, Meister ended 2019 with nearly $155,761 saved. He also reported $417,200 in debt from loans he made to the campaign going back to 2015.
Boykin's campaign reported receiving $73,240 during the fourth quarter. That includes a $10,000 loan from the candidate. The rest was from individual donors.
Boykin reported receiving no money from political action committees or other campaigns.
After $75,312 in spending, Team Boykin ended 2019 with nearly $50,222 saved. The campaign also reported $142,459 in debt, all to Boykin from loans dating back to 2014.
Martinez reported receiving a relatively meager $19,512 in donations during the three-month period. That included $5,600 in transfers from political groups, such as $1,000 from state Sen. Linda Holmes' campaign committee and $500 from state Sen. Julie Morrison's campaign committee.
The rest was from individual donors.
After nearly $2,012 in spending, Martinez ended 2019 with about $17,500 saved and no debt.
Bellar hasn't registered a campaign committee with state election officials, so any fundraising efforts aren't available for review.