* From what I’ve been able to gather, Sen. Kirk Dillard is right that Lori Montana is still raising money for him. But she’s now just a volunteer and no longer part of the campaign staff…

Lori Montana, a well-respected, GOP fund-raiser and former Illinois Lottery Director whom Dillard brought onto his campaign with much fanfare, has signaled she’s on her way out, several sources with knowledge of the decision told the Sun-Times.

Sources with knowledge of the decision said Montana informed Dillard’s campaign about two weeks ago of her plans to part ways.

“Lori is a volunteer. She did leave the campaign. She’s going to tie up loose ends,” a source close to the Dillard campaign told the Sun-Times on Monday. “She is not being paid.” […]

When asked about Montana’s status on Monday, Dillard first responded by saying he had a meeting with her in 10 minutes, so he hoped she wasn’t going anywhere. “She’s still on board with me. No, Lori still works for me,” Dillard told the Sun-Times. “Lori Montana is still helping me raise money – it must be people’s wishful thinking.” […]

Rumors have been swirling over why Montana was parting ways with Dillard, but Dillard wasn’t even admitting that she was on her way out.
One source indicated there was general frustration by Dillard’s reluctance to make the number of fund-raising calls needed to survive in a four-way gubernatorial primary.

He won’t make enough calls and, I’m told, his appearance at that anti gay marriage rally may have been the last straw. I reached out to Montana several days ago and never heard back.

…Adding… Illinois Review is hearing the same thing…

Sources told Illinois Review that along with the dearth of lucrative commissioned contributions, Montana is leaving the campaign because of Dillard’s public participation in the traditional marriage rally held in Springfield last month, as well as his position on other social issues, which Montana found difficult or uncomfortable to sell to major donors.

Bigtime corporate donor types don’t like social issues all that much. The “strip their pensions,” anti-union Bruce Rauner, therefore, is far more to their liking.