* 11:49 am - From a press release…
Brady for Illinois today announced it raised $3.6 million in campaign contributions through the first half of this year.
In a report to be filed by July 20 with the State Board of Elections for the reporting period January 1st to June 30th, the Brady campaign will report contributions from every one of the state’s 102 counties. The campaign received contributions from over 4,200 individual donors, 2,500 of which were donations under $100.
Through June 30th, the campaign had approximately $2.3 million on hand.
The campaign also today announced the addition of businessman and long time Republican Party leader Ron Gidwitz as Chairman of Brady for Illinois.
That’s pretty good, and better than I think a lot of folks thought he’d be doing at this point. Thoughts?
…Adding… A search of the Board of Elections site shows Brady raised just $243,200.95 between Jan. 1 and primary day. So he’s raised about $3.4 million since then. He had about $190K in the bank as of Jan. 1st as well.
* Related…
* Ill. teachers union endorses Quinn for governor
* Quinn gets union backing; Brady blasts Democrat
* Quinn Not Fazed by Cohen’s Challenge
* Brady, Quinn campaign ads launched
* Quinn, Brady tussle on crime issues
* Brady calls on Quinn to sign law for online prisoner gallery
* Brady: Public needs photos of released inmates
* Chamber PAC backs Brady, Rutherford
* Scott Lee Cohen ‘celebrates’ ballot slot win
* Green LG Candidate Releases Tax Returns; Plummer Still Refuses
- jon - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:00 pm:
A good number by Brady and Gidwitz signing on bodes poorly for Quinn. Also, remember that the RGA is flush with cash and has shown that they are going to play in IL.
Money has always been seen as one of Brady’s weaknesses, so if he has addressed that, he is certainly stronger.
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:05 pm:
Gonna be fun to see how Brady uses this money. If he clobbers Quinn on the budget only, Quinn may not be able to match him…
- downstate hack - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:12 pm:
Gidwitz addition is huge for Brady. If he sticks to the economy, he should win, but that is a big if.
- JSF - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:21 pm:
That’s a very good number for Brady.
- Whatever - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:21 pm:
Gidwitz? Hope he does better with Brady than he did with Dillard. Can’t wait to see all the “consultants” he brings on board to siphon off all that money Brady has raised.
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:25 pm:
We think the combination of Gidwitz & CampaignMasterJerry will be incredibly potent.
Now they need to keep their candidates, NoTaxRushmore & Daddy’s Little Deduction, out of state and disavow their partnership with CommandoMakeItUp…..
BTW the WSJ is reporting the Colorado GOP Senate candidate is getting whacked by media THERE for massive plagarism….perhaps media HERE can start a review of CommandoMakeItUp’s written word
Kidwell…..Kidwell ?????
- Deep South - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:33 pm:
Wish I owned a television station.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:35 pm:
That’s some real money. You can post some nice early release photos on TV with that kind of money.
Quinn better be raising some real national money on the social issues. I don’t think Eddie Burke and Emil can carry him over the finish line in this one.
- cassandra - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:40 pm:
Public and private employee unions clearly have decided that their best bet for continuing to plunder the public purse, via jobs and contractual jobs, is to vote in Pat Quinn. Quinn has made it clear that this election is a referendum on a tax increase–and on transferring more middle class wealth to public employees and to the private sector via overpaid politically connected contractors. At least he’s not trying to hide it. He seems to genuinely believe that disproportionate taxation of the middle class, even during a lingering recession of uncertain legnth, is the solution to all of Illinois’ problems. His much ballyhooed cuts are largely
just talk at this point.
Brady needs to stick to economics and the need to empower us economically, not hit us up for more money to misspend. Obviously, he needs to stay away from social issues. His focus should be on better use of the money the state does have instead of ever higher taxes and fees for Illinois residents. This can’t be done immediately but, as Hynes noted during the primary, it can be done over time.
War on the middle class for the benefit of wealthy private sector cronies and the public bureaucracy is never a wise political choice in the long run-we are the modern-day equivalents of yesteryear’s beleagured peasants-although that seems to be the choice that Quinn and Illinois Democrats prefer.
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:41 pm:
- Whatever - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:21 pm:
“Can’t wait to see all the “consultants” he brings on board to siphon off all that money Brady has raised.”
You know if they’re hiring? I could use some easy money…
- PalosParkBob - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:43 pm:
I hope he’ll take some of that money and pay someone about $10K a month to provide oversight to prevent “Really Stupid Campaign Talking Points”.
Promoting Bills for Mass Gassing of pets and picking on minimum wage earners instead of greedy union fatcats are just two of the more recent Faux Pas.
- PalosParkBob - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:49 pm:
Cassandra, the problem is that Gidwitz has always been a big proponent for an income tax increase.
He’s a good manager, but I’m not so sure that having someone who’s not a good ideological fit with the candidate makes a lot of sense.
I suppose if he’s a one dollar a year guy and he brings a few hundred thou along to hire his people, it may not be such a bad deal for Brady.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:49 pm:
That’s impressive. I always heard during the GOP primary that a Dillard and possibly a McKenna win would have resulted in a full-scale backing by various business groups. While Senator Brady hasn’t quite matched the magnitude discussed during the primary, that’s still a good haul and it will allow him to (hopefully) build on his fundraising prowess for the next few months.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 1:23 pm:
He could have bought a Democratic US Senate seat with that kind of cash a couple years ago!
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 1:34 pm:
I could not agree more with:
- PalosParkBob - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 12:43 pm:
I hope he’ll take some of that money and pay someone about $10K a month to provide oversight to prevent “Really Stupid Campaign Talking Points”.
Promoting Bills for Mass Gassing of pets and picking on minimum wage earners instead of greedy union fatcats are just two of the more recent Faux Pas.
- siriusly - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 2:11 pm:
Um wow. That money is going to make a whole lot of the conventional wisdom donors get in line to write him a CYA check.
Has Brady said he’ll live in the Gov’s mansion? Time to measure the drapes Mrs. Brady. I hear Quinn’s $ numbers are awful.
- Down the Middle - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 3:20 pm:
Gidwitz is a classy guy, but a really tough CEO-type of a manager. IMO, Dillard lost the primary years before it happened by doing that ad for Obama. McKenna’s zillions skewered Dillard & Jim Ryan, and Brady waltzed through the gap. But being a bit lucky is never a bad thing in politics.
- How Ironic - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 4:20 pm:
http://judgepenitent.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/bill-brady-the-real-peoples-man/
Mike Wilson with another spot on song for Bill Brady.
- Anon - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 4:40 pm:
==Promoting Bills for Mass Gassing of pets and picking on minimum wage earners instead of greedy union fatcats are just two of the more recent Faux Pas. ==
By “recent” are you going by 18th Century publication standards? If not, the first one is well into the old news vault.
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 7:02 pm:
Almost forgot abour Gidwitz being for the big tax hike?
Wonder if our agressive IL media will ask NoTaxRushmore about that one
Kidwell….Kidwelll
- steve schnorf - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 7:27 pm:
Another sign that Bill understands that elections are won and lost in the middle not at the margins. By mid July you better long since have your base locked up.