SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — It’s not just those running for Illinois governor who are spending furiously with Election Day looming. Candidates for Illinois’ four other statewide offices are also raking in and spending cash quickly, according to campaign finance reports due Wednesday for the year’s third quarter, which ended in September.
In the race for state treasurer, which has traditionally served as a stepping stone to higher office, the Democratic and Republican candidates have each committed more than $1 million for television ads in recent weeks, their campaigns said. Each was hoping for a late bump with the Nov. 4 election less than three weeks away.
Former House Republican Leader Tom Cross’ latest ad, entitled “a different kind of Republican,” seeks to reach moderate, independent voters, noting he supports abortion rights and broke from his party to support gay marriage. Democratic State Sen. Michael Frerichs, meanwhile, uses his 6-foot-8-inch height of to illustrate how he’s “stood tall” to ban wasteful spending as a Champaign County auditor and wants an independent audit of the treasurer’s office if elected.
Reports show Cross had $614,981 in cash on hand as of September 30th, while Frerichs had $413,563.
In the race for the check-writing job of Illinois comptroller between two well-known names, Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka had substantially more cash on hand than her Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, who spent eight times as much than Topinka on campaign expenses during the last quarter, including for consulting, advertisements, yard signs and technology.
Records show that Simon had just $105,997 in cash on hand at the end of the third quarter, while Topinka had $1.44 million. Topinka spent $69,495 during the three-month period, while Simon spent $558,503.
The other two statewide races, for attorney general and secretary of state, both have long-term Democratic incumbents with large war chests who have spent little on their re-election bids
Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a three-term incumbent, had $4.26 million in cash on hand at the end of the third quarter. Her Republican opponent, retired Marine Corps veteran and attorney Paul Schimpf, reported raising over $68,000 during those three months, but he ended the period with just $7,853 in cash on hand.
Similarly, Secretary of State Jesse White, a Democrat running for his fifth term, had $770,269 in the bank at the end of September, while his Republican opponent, Mike Webster, had $1,342.
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