One of the biggest stories to come out of election day was that several candidates with the most money came up short.
The obvious example is the race for U.S. Senate, where U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi reportedly spent $29 million on TV ads and benefited from another $10 million spent by the crypto industry against Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Stratton was the beneficiary of a lot of money as well, including from Gov. JB Pritzker, but she started relatively late and never came close to matching Krishnamoorthi’s total spend. Even so, she prevailed. Pritzker’s very public endorsement and independent expenditure support clearly helped get her in position. She got a late start, and it was touch-and-go for a long time.
The dynamic played out in some U.S. House races as well. The underfunded state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, eked out a victory in the 7th Congressional District primary over a candidate supported with huge outside money. Ford was endorsed by retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis. And despite an absolute flood of money from outside groups opposing him, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the 9th Congressional District primary.
As Pritzker, a billionaire, told me in a postelection interview, “A whole bunch of money does not a good candidate make.”
Let’s look at some state legislative races.
Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, lost his primary by 12 points, 56-44. Andrade benefited from more than $840,000 in independent expenditures from groups run by DraftKings and Meta, as well as the Michael Sacks-fronted Common Ground Collective. Andrade raised $1.1 million on his own this calendar year, on top of the $214,000 he had in the bank. That’s more than $2 million in all.
He was vanquished by Chicago Teachers Union-backed Miguel Alvelo-Rivera, who raised $237,000 this year on top of the $31,000 he had on hand on Dec. 31. It was enough to get his message out — and part of that message was that Andrade was completely mischaracterizing the progressive immigrant rights organizer as pro-ICE. Also, he had a ton of foot soldiers and ran a very tight campaign.
DraftKings also spent $476,000 on Aja Kearney in retiring Rep. Nick Smith’s Chicago-based district. Meta spent another $96,000. Kearney raised $148,000 this year, much of it from the CTU. All told, she had $752,000. But Kearney was absolutely stomped by Cleo Cowley 59-41.
The pro-charter school INCS Action spent $68,000 on Cowley, and she raised just $27,000 this year after closing out last year with $13,000. This race was decided in the streets and with a highly effective ad by INCS Action. Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, deserves a huge amount of credit, but Cowley worked it hard. Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, supported Kearney. Evans did breeze past Sims in his state Democratic central committeeman race, however.
DraftKings and Meta spent a combined $474,000 backing Adam Braun in the 13th House District, and DraftKings shelled out another $310,000 for attack ads against the opposition (mainly James O’Brien but also Demi Palecek) on behalf of its former Statehouse lobbyist. Braun ended last year with $242,000 in the bank and raised another $211,000 this year. That’s $1.2 million.
At last check, Braun was in fourth place in a five-person race with a mere 11%. Demi Palecek was the going-away winner with 42%. She had just $14,000 in the bank at the end of last year, then raised $147,000 this year, most of it from progressive Democrat David Hogg’s committee.
Palecek appeared to be an authentic person and had captured the moment by declaring she wouldn’t deploy as a National Guard member to assist ICE. And, while it’s not fair, lobbyists have a horrible public reputation, and that hurt Braun. This was a gigantic upset, and the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership has another legislator.
Republican Josh Higgins had nowhere near the resources as incumbent Deputy Minority Leader Norine Hammond, but the Illinois Freedom Caucus-supported candidate had a message that resonated with MAGA primary voters. Higgins breezed to victory by 25 points in a three-way race. He raised a total of $54,000. Hammond had essentially unlimited resources at her disposal. This win is going to further divide the HGOP caucus. The far right lost every other legislative primary, but this was the top prize.
Appointed Rep. Margaret DeLaRosa, D-Glen Ellyn, had just $33,000 in the bank last year and raised a mere $50,000 this year. House Speaker Chris Welch refused to get involved in the race, and DeLaRosa was not the choice of some powerful local politicos or organized labor, but she nuked Lynn LaPlante 59-41. LaPlante, a DuPage County board member, raised $211,000 this year.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 9:31 am:
The extremely jaded, cynical 58-year-old man in me is very happy that money still can’t buy everything.
The extremely jaded, cynical 58-year-old man in me knows these examples are simply outliers.
- low level - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 9:34 am:
Organization still matters is the lesson for me.
- Excitable Boy - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 9:47 am:
- Organization still matters is the lesson for me. -
That’s true, message still matters as well. Raja didn’t have one, Andrade had a phony one, Hammond’s was out of date for today’s GOP. You can reach every voter in your district but if they don’t like what you have to say it’s not going to matter.
- ChicagoVinny - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 9:51 am:
I was in house district 13 and I noticed I got some anti-Palecek mailers after I’d already voted for her. They were pretty clumsy referring to some social media posts that would only make the most uptight voter clutch their pearls.
- Irreverent - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 9:58 am:
I was getting a bunch of really obnoxious anti-Stratton text messages running into the primary. To take them at face value, you would have thought Raja had it in the bag.
- That’s Jiggy - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 10:19 am:
The IL Freedom Caucus lost 5 of 6 races handily. They won the Hammond race but nothing else. Even that race has an asterisk as it was a largely new District for Hammond after the last redistricting.
The Freedom Caucus remains small (in every way) and totally Legislatively irrelevant.
- H-W - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 10:22 am:
Nice summary, Rich. I like the tag line, “Pritzker, a billionaire, told me in a postelection interview, “A whole bunch of money does not a good candidate make.”
That’s humorous, and true.
- Ducky LaMoore - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 10:48 am:
Wow, 7 comments without a Blair Hull reference. Sorry….
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 10:58 am:
===knows these examples are simply outliers===
Overall, there were more big money losers than winners this year.
- Good Buddy - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 11:23 am:
Think of all the money that is just poured down rat holes each election cycle as a result of Citizens United serving no purpose at all.
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 11:26 am:
Money may not buy you love but it buys influence
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 12:02 pm:
Andrade lost, but other CTU targets won in the City. Andrade might have lost anyway, but the spurious but not defamatory claims probably didn’t help. Don’t think there will be enough near northwest side support to save the Mayor though.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 12:13 pm:
===but other CTU targets won in the City===
I’d hardly call Reps. Aaron Ortiz and Lilian Jimenez “targets.” Those were gimmes.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 12:51 pm:
===“A whole bunch of money does not a good candidate make.”===
This is very true, but money makes it a lot easier. The person that can spend the most may not always win, but it doesn’t matter how great the candidate is if there is nothing to spend or in many cases just not enough to spend.
The danger to being a campaign that has millions of dollars to spend is that there are a lot of people around who want to help you spend those millions that may not be spending it in a way that helps the campaign and may not be willing to risk their fees, commissions, and salary on being anything other that a fan of whatever the boss is thinking.
===The extremely jaded, cynical 58-year-old===
Friend, look at the last thee decades. Jaded cynicism is an okay thing to be as long as you can still cling to hope.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 12:53 pm:
===Money may not buy you love but it buys influence ===
Speak softly and carry a big purse.
- Frida's Boss - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 1:11 pm:
“A whole bunch of money does not a good candidate make.”
No, but it can sure help cover up flaws people don’t like.
As our new svelte Wegovy Gov has shown, having enough money can change anything.
- Arsenal - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 1:16 pm:
=This is very true, but money makes it a lot easier.==
Also, money correlates to other skills that good candidates usually possess- the ability to persuade, strong allies, etc.
…but not always. Folks like Blair Hull and Jim Oberweis didn’t really have those traits, and while the Gov arguably does, they’re not how he got his money.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 1:29 pm:
===Also, money correlates to other skills that good candidates usually possess===
Except for Raja, that really didn’t happen at the federal level or in those legislative races where giant companies dumped truckloads of cash. Melissa Conyears-Ervin “outspent” La Shawn Ford not necessarily because of what she did, but because of what others did.
You’re in a whole new world now, and that requires some rethinking.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 1:43 pm:
Also this: 31 mailers by March 11 https://bsky.app/profile/33rdwardworking.bsky.social/post/3mgtjcsqkyc26
- 47th Ward - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 3:03 pm:
Money can’t buy love, but it can rent a lot of affection. Terms and conditions apply.
- Dotnonymous x - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 3:04 pm:
The right message at the right time is more powerful than all the money in the world.
- low level - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 3:47 pm:
The ironic thing is: Alvelo-Rivera’s voting record will in all likelihood be 99% similar to what Andrade’s has been.
- HappyStPatricksDay - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 4:21 pm:
In the State 42nd race LaPlante (who had almost x3 money) went negative in numerous mailers against DeLaRosa, a longtime school board member and community activist. Word to the wise: in the end these are local elections, and going hard against a popular, long time public servant will not serve you well, no matter how much money you spend.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Mar 23, 26 @ 4:36 pm:
===Alvelo-Rivera’s voting record will in all likelihood be 99% similar===
Aren’t a whole lot of folks that vote against making pumpkin the state pie. That 1% really matters when it comes to votes that are harder or more important for some groups than pumpkin pie.
Especially when one starts looking at what used to be seen as easy as everyone agreeing on pumpkin and realize that perhaps the status quo needs an update — it might be controversial and there will be entrenched folks that will want to protect Governor Thompson’s legacy along with some really upset Republicans, but maybe its time to revisit Square Dancing as the state’s dance and you might need a better champion than the an everyone agrees on pumpkin pie legislator.