* From the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, with my own bracketed comments…

J.B. Pritzker (D)

At $9.3 million in expenditures, J.B. Pritzker accounted for 67% of total 2nd quarter spending in the Illinois gubernatorial race. Advertising and media consulting represented a large portion of his committee’s expenditures. Pritzker utilized a Philadelphia media consulting group named Shorr, Johnson, Magnus, who has worked in the past with U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Al Franken. Pritzker paid the group $6,317,365 for media buys, consulting, and production. That amount itself is more than the combined total spending of all the other gubernatorial campaigns. In total, Pritzker spent an additional $928,160 on media buys from other sources, media and digital consulting, and media production. Pritzker also spent a significant amount of money building his campaign’s team. He spent $668,286 on payroll and associated fees for campaign staff - almost $500,000 more than any other candidate. [The dude has ramped up staff hiring faster and larger than anyone I think I’ve ever seen.]

Bruce Rauner (R)

Governor Rauner was the second highest spender in the second quarter, reporting nearly $3.4 million. The Rauner campaign enlisted Strategic Media Placement Inc, a major Republican media consulting company in Ohio, for $1,056,336 in media buys. The group has worked with a number of U.S. Senators, Governors, and the Trump campaign. In addition, the campaign spent $75,337 on mailings and postage to potential voters. The Governor also transferred $1.5 million to the Illinois Republican Party, which is reflected in his overall expenditure numbers. [The ubiquitous “duct tape” ads were paid for by a dark money group affiliated with the RGA and are therefore not included here.]

Chris Kennedy (D)

In the second quarter, the Kennedy campaign spent $652,524. A large portion of that, $178,726, went to payroll and associated fees. Kennedy also spent $23,806 on event costs, such as catering and venue reservations. Additionally, Kennedy spent $90,305 on digital consulting from Revolution Messaging, a Washington, D.C.-based progressive digital agency that previously worked with the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, and $102,800 on polling and market research from two different firms. [Other consultants included Zlato Digital ($7,500), P2 Consulting ($52,550), Porter McNeil ($11,000), Tiffany Hightower ($12,500), Hart Research ($81,500), Grossman Heinz ($24,189), Adelstein & Associates ($19,817), 4C Partners ($9,000) and 3-Street, Inc. ($21,300)]

Daniel Biss (D)

Despite raising over $1 million, Daniel Biss’s campign spent frugally this quarter, only $265,710. A big focus of the Biss campaign this quarter was on digital advertising, as its largest single expenditure was $40,000 towards digital advertising from 270 Strategies, a Chicago consulting and outreach firm that previously worked with the United Way and U.S. Senator Corey Booker. The Biss campaign also spent $85,400 on consulting from a number of different local and national firms. This includes two expenditures worth $44,000 with LBH Chicago, a fundraising and public relations consulting firm that previously worked with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. [LBH is run by Liz Houlihan]

Ameya Pawar (D)

Ameya Pawar’s campaign racked up $155,980 in second quarter spending. The Pawar campaign’s biggest expenditure was the $45,554 spent on staff salaries and associated fees. A significant amount of the campaign’s spending also went toward polling and research. The campaign spent $39,200 working with the Seattle-based research and marketing firm Strategies 360. Additionally, the Pawar campaign spent $15,383 on promotional merchandise. [Strategies 360 does not have an Illinois office and focuses mainly on the American West.]

Robert Daiber (D)

Robert Daiber had the second lowest expenditure total this quarter, with just $41,155. Over three-fourths of Daiber’s total spending went to consulting from individuals and small businesses, all located in Illinois. Daiber’s next largest expenditure was $5,110 for a fundraiser at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, IL. [Barzin Emami is his top consultant. Enami ran the unsuccessful 2014 campaign to unseat Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier.]

Scott Drury (D)

Scott Drury, who has been in the race for about one month, was the lowest spender in the second quarter, only reporting $3,994. Of these expenditures, the largest amount went to processing donations to his campaign made through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue. [Drury was even outraised by the person who wants to run for his House seat.]

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