Jennifer Janasie, [Green Party gubernarorial nominee Rich Whitney’s] campaign manager, says Whitney has raised about $29,000 dollars since December, but points out the campaign is significantly ahead of the $16,866 Whitney reported for the same time period last time he ran for governor.
“We have a lot more people sending in donations this time,” Janasie says. “The numbers in no way suggest we can’t be competitive.”
[Green Party US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones’] campaign manager reports only about $1,500 in the bank. He blames, in part, people he says told Jones in private they’d support him, but have been unwilling to make it official.
* The FEC quarterly filing deadline always produces more spin than a ceiling fan in August. This week was no exception (and, considering the heat, the same goes for ceiling fans). From Republican congressional candidate Adam Kinzinger’s campaign…
The Kinzinger for Congress campaign announced Thursday that the campaign raised more than $325,000 in the last three months – $20,000-plus more than incumbent opponent Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson – and has more than $480,000 on hand to invest in communicating its message and reaching out to voters in every corner of the IL-11 Congressional District.
Democrat U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson has about $1 million more than Republican Adam Kinzinger in their race for Congress, the campaigns reported Thursday.
Halvorson, a first-term representative from Crete, reported having about $1.4 million in the bank, money she’ll be able to spend on television ads and other expenses in the coming months.
* From Democrat Dan Seals’ congressional campaign…
In another clear show of support from Illinois voters, Democratic Congressional Candidate Dan Seals today announced a consecutive strong fundraising quarter in the race for the open seat in Illinois’ 10th District.
In the second quarter FEC reporting period that closed on June 30, Seals received $556,156 in contributions. Seals will also report having $792,000 cash-on-hand.
What isn’t mentioned is that his opponent got his own “clear show of support” with an almost identical FEC report…
Wilmette Democrat Dan Seals and Kenilworth Republican Robert Dold are neck-and-neck in campaign fundraising in their nationally-watched race for an open north suburban congressional seat.
Both candidates report having nearly $800,000 in the bank to start July in what’s expected to be a costly contest by the time 10th Congressional District voters hit the polls Nov. 2. Seals and Dold are vying to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, who held the Democrat-leaning district for a decade. Kirk is now running for U.S. Senate.
Seals, who is making his third run for the seat, raised more than $550,000 from April through June, spokeswoman Aviva Gibbs said this afternoon. Dold collected about $560,000 for the same time spokeswoman Kelly Klopp said.
An NRCC press release was entitled: “Dold Outraises Seals In Obama’s Backyard.” Is the 10th CD really Obama’s back yard?
* On the other hand, Republican congressional candidate Randy Hultgren kinda/sorta admitted that his quarterly report wasn’t up to snuff…
The Hultgren for Congress campaign announced today that it raised $309,080.00 in the quarter ending June 30 and has $244,669.00 cash on hand.
“I am pleased with the strong support I continue to receive from throughout the 14th Congressional District,” said State Senator Randy Hultgren.
“I realize that we have a long way to go to match the hundreds of thousands of dollars that special interest groups have poured in to my opponent’s campaign,” said Hultgren. “Therefore, I am pleased to announce the addition of Lisa Wagner, of Lisa Wagner and Company, an expert in fundraising with a long track record of success, to my finance team.”
In the 8th CD where an underdog favorite pulled out a surprise GOP primary upset for businessman Joe Walsh, Walsh’s not been able to raise more funds than he’s spent in the second quarter, FEC filings show today.
Walsh, who raised a little over $100,000 in the second quarter, spent $114,000, leaving him with $30,292 on hand. With $88,000 in outstanding debts, the campaign committee as of this week’s reports, stands nearly $50,000 in the red, not boding well — at this point — for Walsh to run a viable campaign against Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean.
* In related news, sometimes, it’s best just to let your opponent twist in the wind.
Yesterday, Alexi Giannoulias held a press conference to slam Mark Kirk for taking corporate PAC and federal lobbyist money, but had to answer embarrassing questions about how his fundraising totals were so pathetic. As we’ve already discussed, Giannoulias raised just $900,000 raised and had $1 million cash on hand, leaving Kirk with an almost four-to-one cash advantage.
One of the stories about the Giannoulias presser included this section…
The Kirk campaign countered that Giannoulias does accept money from state lobbyists. Giannoulias, while not denying the claim, said he has barred lobbyists who solicit the Treasurer’s office from donating to his Senate campaign.
Kirk’s campaign had apparently salted the question before the presser, so it pounced via press release just minutes later…
Fact Check: Giannoulias Lobbyist Contributions
Misleading Claim: Alexi Giannoulias told reporters today he does not accept campaign contributions from state lobbyists registered to lobby the Treasurer’s Office.
Get the Facts: As of March 31, 2010, Alexi for Illinois accepted $87,626.35 from registered Illinois State lobbyists – including $28,326.35 from lobbyists registered with entities that lobby the Treasurer’s office in the same year as their contribution. (Sources: Federal Election Commission; State of Illinois Lobbying Information Search) The total as of June 30th is not yet available. Lobbyists registered with entities that lobby the Treasurer’s office who contributed to Alexi for Illinois include:
Trouble is, Giannoulias never actually said that he didn’t take state lobster cash. Video…
Female reporter: You don’t take federal money, but the Kirk folks are saying that you do take state lobbying money. Have you said ‘No’ to any kind of lobbyists who lobby for the state and especially to your treasurer’s office?
Giannoulias: And again, I understand the congressman is trying to put up smokescreens and trying to change the subject from the fact that he’s raised millions of dollars from federal lobbyists. The truth of the matter is my first day in office I ended pay-to-play in the state treasurer’s office. We don’t take money from anyone who does business with the state treasurer’s office. We don’t take money from banks. And if individuals want to donate, that’s fine. We have a complete firewall between myself and federal lobbyists.
Female reporter: What about state lobbyists? Other state lobbyists, maybe they don’t lobby your particular office, but state lobbyists. Is there a ban on those?
Giannoulias: Well, they don’t – and again, this is about the decision with regard to the U.S. Senate race, and with regards to the United States Senate. And they have no impact on that legislation.
This is basically the same policy that Barack Obama had in his presidential campaign. No federal lobster money, but he will gladly take state lobbyist donations. As I already pointed out to subscribers this week, Giannoulias is no Barack Obama. Copying Obama’s policy has cost him dearly.
Anyway, the Giannoulias campaign responded to the Kirk press release…
In a continued effort to desperately distract from Congressman Kirk’s problems with the truth, the Kirk campaign…stretched the truth. Ironic and not all together surprising, considering the source.
Like I said, sometimes it’s best just to let well enough alone.
* Natasha Korecki at the Sun-Times has a very good article about the government’s case against Rod Blagojevich. Specifically, the lack of actual completion of so many of his grand conspiracies. Are those still crimes? Likely…
So as the prosecution’s case against Blagojevich winds down to its final days this week, the question remains: Did Blagojevich commit crimes, or was it all just talk?
“The government has charged offenses that do not require completion for them to win,” former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins said.
Collins put it this way: “In an attempted murder case, you don’t have to have a dead body; hiring the hit man is enough.”
And don’t forget, he did, in fact, put the kibosh on state grant money while he tried to extract a huge contribution from Children’s Hospital CEO.
Jurors are looking at a transcript of a Nov. 12, 2008, conversation between Rod Blagojevich and Bob Greenlee while defense attorney Aaron Goldstein dissects the ex-governor’s statements, word for word.
On the tape, Blago is asking his deputy governor about a proposed reimbursement rate increase for Children’s Memorial Hospital. Blago asks Greenlee a question about the rate change: “Has that gone out yet, or is that still on hold?”
Goldstein: “There’s something after the word ‘hold.’ What is that squiggly thing?”
Greenlee: “That is a question mark.”
Goldstein: “Do you know what a question mark is?”
Prosecutor Reid Schar has been objecting consistently. He does it again, stands up and stays standing. “I’m just going to keep standing,” he says to another lawyer.
Later, Goldstein asks Greenlee to define the word “could.”
“‘Could,’” you understood to mean ‘possibility,’ correct?” Goldstein asks. “‘We could pull it back’ means there’s a possibility this could be pulled back?”
Goldstein asks Greenlee, a Yale grad, if he knows diff between “know” and word “no”. Judge Zagel has whole hand over his eyes
* Before the trial started, reporters revealed that the feds probably wouldn’t call Tony Rezko to the stand unless their case appeared to be falling apart. Rezko won’t be called, which gives you a good indication of how prosecutors feel about their case…
Even Blagojevich’s trial judge, James Zagel, said late last month that he considered Rezko a toxic witness who would damage whichever side chose to call him, and that he therefore didn’t expect him to be called.
“Rezko scares the prosecutors,” said Andrew Stoltmann, a Barrington Hills attorney who’s been following the case. “He is a wild card, and prosecutors tend to be scared away from wild cards.” […]
“Rezko and Levine are both wild cards,” said Richard Kling of the Chicago-Kent College of Law. “You really have no idea what they’re going to say.”
What prosecutors seem to be saying most clearly with their omission in the Blagojevich trial is that they don’t need them to make the case.
Dan Curry wondered aloud recently whether US Attorney General Eric Holder was making any decisions about whether to call Rezko to the stand. Curry, a longtime Illinois PR guy, has obtained a grant from the money bags behind the “Swift Boat” attacks on John Kerry to amplify his claims that Rezko is being ignored by the media.
