[Comments are now open on this post.]

* JB Pritzker reported last night that he’s dumped another $7 million into his campaign. Sen. Daniel Biss complained, but was also rebutted…

Ugh. Just when I was getting used to talking about $56 million, @JBPritzker gives himself another $7 million to bring the total up to $63 million. (In other news, still dating checks 2017.) https://t.co/lNwbFFA5TD -DB

— Daniel Biss (@DanielBiss) March 4, 2018

Suggestion: find something to whine about that isn't omg I'm gonna lose to a rich dude https://t.co/7z5zEEYgDJ

— Will Caskey (@WillCaskey) March 4, 2018

Some progressives say a wealthy candidate can't be progressive because they take their own money to spend - but - it's progressive to take $25,000, $100,000, and $250,000 checks from wealthy, uh, 'friends' to spend. Got it. 🤔 #twill #NoStringsAttached

— David Ormsby (@DavidOrmsby) March 4, 2018

* Along those lines, Biss just reported $75K from Shook Hardy & Bacon attorney Gary Elden, bringing his total Biss contributions to $200,000. Elden’s firm has represented most of the big tobacco companies and some large pharmaceutical companies.

And Chris Kennedy just reported raising $84,500, with $50K of that coming from Florida-based SOLIC Capital Advisors.

* Rep. Scott Drury reported $100,000 this weekend from Steven Miller, a Chicago venture capitalist. Drury has only reported raising about $9K for his AG race since January 1 aside from that Miller contribution. Miller (no relation that I know of) has now contributed over $230K to Drury’s campaign. Drury entered the year with $732K in the bank.

So far, no word on when or even if that anti-Drury ad I told you about on Friday will pop. Drury referenced the $600K expenditure during the Sun-Times candidates’ debate today, saying it was just more evidence of Madigan’s machine taking retribution against him.

* Former Gov. Pat Quinn just put $100K of his own money into his AG campaign. Quinn has raised $465K since the beginning of the year, which he started with $278K. Sen. Kwame Raoul has raised $984K since January 1 and started out with almost $1.1 million.

* Senate President John Cullerton just kicked in $55,400 to a Cook County Board candidate’s race. Why? The candidate is Angie Sandoval, the daughter of one of Cullerton’s members, Sen. Martin Sandoval. She’s also being backed by Sen. Tony Munoz.

* As you know, Democratic House candidate Lamont Robinson is vying against former Rep. Ken Dunkin and two others to replace Rep. Juliana Stratton (D-Chicago).

Robinson has now raised $453K this quarter, far outpacing everyone else. Much of that money is coming from Speaker Madigan-related entities. Rep. Marty Moylan just contributed $40K. Other than Dunkin (who, as subscribers know, is being whacked by Robinson hard in the mail and on TV), his closest competitor is Dilara Sayeed, who has raised just $37,000 since January 1.

* Related…

* Four men dominate the turf in Illinois’ political ‘playground of the rich’: A Chicago Sun-Times analysis found that more than 25 percent of the money contributed to Illinois political campaigns in the past two years has come from the pockets of four men: Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker, Rauner supporter Kenneth Griffin and disgruntled, former Rauner supporter Richard Uihlein.