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Thursday, Oct 16, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

Republican Bruce Rauner’s campaign spent $20.3 million in the months from July through September, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. During the same period, he took in $20.5 million in contributions, including a $1.5 million check he wrote to himself last week. […]

During that same period, Gov. Pat Quinn spent the smaller – but still hefty – sum of $15.2 million, state records show. Unlike Rauner, Quinn spent more than he took in, raising just $8.2 million, the records show. That leaves Quinn with $4.7 million in the bank as the race heads into the home stretch – $1 million more than Rauner has banked.

That’s a bit misleading for two reasons. First, Rauner has given millions to the state GOP to help fund legislative races, which could help him locally, but wasn’t spent directly on himself. Secondly, the union-backed Illinois Freedom PAC reported spending $3.7 million on Quinn’s behalf in the third quarter. And that doesn’t count all the statewide referendum spending.

Again, if Rauner loses this race, his failure to bury Quinn by fully opening up his checkbook after the primary will be a big reason that I’ll point to. If he wins, he was frugally smart. If not, he was just plain dumb.

* We’ll get to the treasurer’s race in a bit, but check this out…

In the comptroller’s race, Democrat Sheila Simon brought in $154,000 and spent $558,000, leaving $105,000 in her checkbook.

Her opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, outraised Simon, taking in $248,000. She spent just a fraction of what Simon did, reporting a modest $69,000 in expenses. Topinka’s campaign fund balance of $1.4 million also dwarfed Simon’s $105,000.

That is one huge burn-rate by Simon, and one empty campaign kitty going into the final stretch, although she’s reported raising about $35K since the end of September.

…Adding… Ah, I see now. Simon prepaid for about $441K worth of October advertising. Not as bad as I thought.

18 Comments

- Wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 11:44 am:
Even if Rauner wins, it will be razor-thin. I’d say it was still dumb not to bury Quinn early when he had the chance and cut off his funders as a hopeless cause.

- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 11:51 am:
If Rauner blows this…the $18 watch and van will symbolize more than being frugal, it will be the largest “penny-wise, pound foolish” lesson in politics this state has probably ever seen.

Money, married with time, was a potent asset, and it might be seen as squandered by either hubris of “I don’t need to spend, I got this” or the ignorance of what could happen by letting Quinn off the hook for no good reason but going cheap.

Don’t waste time, don’t waste money. Especially don’t waste both as assets.

- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 11:54 am:
If Bruce loses, it won’t be his fault. He’s not a career politician or campaign professional, so he’ll have someone else to blame that way the Baron can keep his unblemished record of success.

- looping - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:12 pm:
I blame the Wisconsin losers who couldn’t make it in the big leagues of politics. Go back to AAA Wisco boys. Fail.

- A guy... - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:12 pm:
Every campaign is a learning experience. I know of no one, win or lose, that wouldn’t change something. He’s been pretty on top of things which made us forget this was his first trip around the track. He’s made adjustments. If he ever runs again, he’ll heed your advice and his experience. I doubt he’d ever think being more frugal at that time was a smart business decision. More likely, it will be a “I won’t do that again”. That is…businesslike.

- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:16 pm:
To Sheila,

Is that going to be enough cash ($441K+) in media to get a positive out about yourself, and cut into a substantial lead Comptroller Topinka has amassed, when we are “teen” number of days away from Election Day?

The Chicago polling numbers alone, head to head, makes me wonder aloud, “Even if Sheila goes $750k, gets an influx of cash, whatever, the goodwill and investment Comptroller a Topinka has made, can that be caught in ‘Teen’ days left?”

Too many moving parts down ballot to generate groundswell versus the goodwill rightly earned.

Let’s not forget the Union endorsements Sheila doesn’t have, and that the Simon name is impressive, but it’s still her Dad’s, not hers. Comptroller Topinka has her name for herself, and her name is more than able to keep pace, as the polls seem to indicate.

Big Ask, Simon Crew. Daylight burned, twilight and nightfall are close at hand.

- Spliff - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:20 pm:
Is the prebuying of ads what Frerichs did with the $900+K he spent on TV?

- A guy... - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:29 pm:
To Sheila, Take whatever Saint volunteers you have left out for a steak. They deserve it. Hold on to your money. You’re done. You were done the day you left the ticket with Pat Quinn. The loss is already going to be “epic” embarrassing. It doesn’t have to be “epic” expensive and embarrassing. Tune the Banjo and I’ll cue Don Meredith.

- Anonymous - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:33 pm:
is bruce busting out the gop?

- Wumpus - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:44 pm:
Well, Durbin broke Washington!

- looping - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 12:48 pm:
Sheila, please take your banjo and go back to your hometown, Washington DC. You will not even win your “home” county in Illinois. You should take that as a sign that no one likes you.

- MrJM (@MisterJayEm) - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 1:08 pm:
“Simon prepaid for about $441K worth of October advertising.”

Demonstrating exactly the kind of foresight and fiscal responsibility that the people of Illinois should demand from… aw, forget it…

I tried.

– MrJM

- Demoralized - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 1:15 pm:
“How To Waste Money”

Written by Sheila Simon.
Foreword by William J. Kelly

- Ginhouse Tommy - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 1:24 pm:
The trouble with burying Quinn early is that he has to stay buried. Nationwide the Democrats are hurting and I doubt that they would abandon the governor in Obama’s home state. That large lead would tend to correct itself once the media started to dust off all those skeletons is “The Barons” closet. Good firewood for a healthy debate though.

- 1776 - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 2:10 pm:
I wonder if Bruce will bring a lawsuit for campaign malpractice against his team of advisors and media buyers. Outside of money, the campaign has continually and repeatedly failed to exercise common sense and good judgement.

I’m wondering if Bruce is actually aware of what’s happening or listening to the advisor’s spin. I think I recall reading that Mitt actually believed he was winning until the returns starting trickling in and the same may occur here.

- uptown progressive - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 2:50 pm:
@ Looping - I don’t get the Sheila/D.C. comment. Based in fact - or was it just a gratuitous slam at a decent person but generally inept candidate?

- Ginhouse Tommy - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 3:25 pm:
1776 Some people who run things surround themselves with yes men or people if you will and never hear a negative word. In other words they are always correct. They tend to have a warped sense of the real situation. Reality cam be very sobering and sometimes it comes too late. That may be happening here. We shall see.
Uptown I will agree with you but it doesn’t help that she is running against a very able and highly popular Judy Barr Topinka, who fron what I understand is also a peach of a human being too. Bad luck for Sheila.

- Percival - Thursday, Oct 16, 14 @ 4:23 pm:
1776, don’t put up the black crepe just yet. Rauner still has a significant Libertarian and Undecided votes to go after, which in the last poll made up 15%. Thus, the votes Rauner needs to win are still out there, and there are still reluctant Republicans who can be persuaded to show up in response to GOTV, which will be as crucial as ever. I know that his team has been talking up a big ground operation. Let’s see if they can pull it off.

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