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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Let’s take a quick look at the campaign finance disclosure reports filed last week by some statewide candidates, shall we?
Bill Brady — It goes without saying that the $66,104 Brady reported raising during the third quarter was beyond pathetic. But here’s how bad the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s performance really was — even Sheila Simon outraised him.
Simon, a notoriously poor fundraiser, pulled in more than $106,000 during the quarter. And if it wasn’t for the $200K in leftover funds from his 2010 governor’s race, Brady would’ve reported having just $73,000 at the end of the quarter. He also spent a bit more than he took in, which isn’t very difficult considering his paltry take.
Kirk Dillard — The burn rate in Dillard’s gubernatorial campaign fund is pretty significant. Dillard raised $263,000, but he spent $290,000 and ended the quarter with a mere $205,000 in the bank, the lowest of any other gubernatorial candidate.
That’s a big overhead nut to make with such a small cushion and poor fundraising.
Bruce Rauner — The multimillionaire Republican candidate for governor spent more than $27,000 just on payroll taxes during the third quarter, which gives you an idea of the sort of organization he has built. By comparison, Gov. Pat Quinn spent $19,000 on payroll taxes during the quarter, Dan Rutherford reported spending $11,000, Brady $1,609, and Dillard reported none.
Rauner also reported spending $800,000 on advertising, including direct mail, which is slightly less than he spent in the previous quarter. None of his opponents spent more than a few dollars on ads, and those were mainly small newspaper or online placements. Since he launched his campaign, Rauner has spent $274,000 on consultants, with $103,000 spent just last quarter. Rauner raised about $1.1 million for his campaign fund, spent the same and ended with $594,000 on hand.
Rauner’s political action committee, which is seeking a constitutional amendment on the ballot next year to impose legislative term limits, has paid $114,000 to a California firm called Arno Petition Consultants.
A California petition company called Arno Political Consultants has stirred quite a bit of controversy in the past with its petition-gathering practices, so we should keep an eye on that. Rauner’s term limits PAC also has spent $38,000 in legal fees and is renting space from a group called “Catholic Vote.”
The term limits PAC raised $606,000 during the quarter, spent $152,000 and had $459,000 in the bank.
Dan Rutherford — The Republican state treasurer reported raising $66,000 in small “unitemized” contributions for his governor’s race, more than any gubernatorial candidate in either party.
Unlike Dillard and Brady, Rutherford has built a solid statewide network to raise money from, so Rauner’s support by all the big-money types hasn’t really hurt Rutherford. He raised $337,000 during the quarter, spent $147,000 and had $1.2 million in the bank at the end of the quarter.
Pat Quinn — The governor is sitting on the largest war chest of any gubernatorial candidate at just under $3 million. His disclosure report also revealed that Quinn has put Joe Slade White back on the payroll.
White designed Quinn’s inexpensive-looking but effective 2010 general election ad campaign. White was paid $10K on Sept. 10, a week before Bill Daley dropped out of the Democratic race, so Quinn obviously was gearing up to run some ads against Daley. Quinn spent a total of $51,000 on consulting services and $34,000 on salaries during the quarter.
Tom Cross — The GOP state treasurer candidate opened up a new campaign account in September that pulled in $176,000 and reported no expenditures. Cross’ state representative fund reported $155,000 in receipts, $195,000 in expenditures and $150,000 in the bank.
Mike Frerichs — The Democratic state treasurer candidate raised $208,000 and had an impressive $769,000 cash on hand, more than three of the five gubernatorial candidates. The guy is a fundraising machine.
Judy Baar Topinka — The incumbent comptroller raised $105,000 during the quarter, about the same as her Democratic rival Simon. However, Topinka is sitting on $876,000, while Simon has $295,000 in the bank.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 9:45 am
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We can’t forget “Grogran, CPA”!
He just loaned himself $50K. Is the Office of Treasurer, considering you have no name ID, no seed money to build upon, your signs say “CPA” on them and … Jason Plummer is advising and showing you around the counties he hid in during his statewide run …
You think loaning the campaign 50 Large of your own cash is a wise investmet … by a CPA no less?
What’s next, selling off the “stamp collection”?
That Rauner burn rate has to make some who have maxed out on him SOME pause.
I find it difficult to believe a Billionaire, spending money to make money, has no idea where he stands in the Polls, and if its still “light”, what makes Rauner think, “Spend another Million, you can make it up!”?
That right, between Ron Gidwitz, and all,and I do mean .. ALL .. those on the payroll, they all believe spending the money works. Right Governor Gidwitz? Right all the people who are milking the campaign dry?
To Brady and Dillard,
Honestly, you will nedd money to define Rauner. Rauner is going to own the skies, but honestly, are either of you going to own the ground? got to pay for a GOTV, and a message to give that ground game, AND you need to come up with something better, you too, in regards to a messgae plan that makes sense if you need to only use free media.
Treasurer Rutherford,
You “wiffed” on your LG choice, you are sitting on the cash, you have a basic infastructure, and your stance on the Quinn veto is a good start to being a frontrunner. Self Depricating humor in dopey tweets, as an opponent is lumping you with all the “career politicians” seems like a waste of time, and makes you look like you have nothing to say.
There will be time to take pictures with Superman again, but not when the defining of the candidates is being done by the biggest hypocrite to attempt to “sell” themself as a Republican. As you are tweeting that “pose”, one of your opponents is posing as a Republican and vacatioing in Rahm Emanuel.
Focus, smart yet funny is good. Being seen as someone to Mock during this defining is just embarrassing. Even Pongee… agrees.
Food for thought.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:07 am
It’s one thing to spend a couple of bucks to have your political views heard in the public square, but quite another when you’ve spent so much that you’ve purchased the naming rights to the square, now calling it the Rauner Center. And since nothing about Rauner is center-related, I realize the name is a misnomer.
Comment by PublicServant Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:16 am
Rutherford - Dillard could have been a winning ticket for the IL GOP.
Comment by Bill White Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:18 am
I’ve skimmed Bruce Rauner’s filings and he hasn’t actually contributed all that much of his own money. Relatively speaking.
However there is a large list of $5300 donations from reliable political donors and I believe Oswego Willy is 100% spot on with this:
=== That Rauner burn rate has to make some who have maxed out on him SOME pause. ===
Dillard, Rutherford and Brady might not have the $$$ to define Rauner but Quinn certainly does.
Comment by Bill White Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:22 am
What’s the deal with Brady? Can he not raise money, does he not put in the effort or is it a combination of the two?
Rauner’s co-opting the likes of Roeser and Uihlein probably doesn’t help Brady with the big money right-wing.
In a four-way race, you’d have to like Brady’s chances if he could get off the schneid.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:25 am
Willy,
1) The average voter is not seeing what Rutherford posts on social media. 2)If they do, they are not you or me, or political junkies. What we find contrived and or a bit silly is humorous, or “regular guy-ish”, or endearing to voters. 3) The defining period is not the same for Dillard, Brady, and Rutherford as it is for Rauner. The first three are known quantities. Folks know Dan is a bit of goof, but it works…for them - not you. Your opinion is skewed relative to average voters.
The defining of Rauner is key, but right now the newspapers are doing a good job of pointing out his obvious faults. The time will come, but still, Dillard’s not been shy so far and Dan gets his jabs in sometimes (”i don’t have to buy my supporters”) too. Brady’s and Dillard’s money fortunes are not going to suddenly reverse course. Who is going to have the money (AND GOTV)at the end to go at Rauner? Looks like only one man so far..
Comment by J. Nolan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:26 am
Very well said, Willy and PS. Stunning to me that Brady’s total really isn’t that far away from Rauner’s payroll tax bill.
Frerichs is looking stronger by the day while the two R’s fumble around.
Time to start thinning the herd?
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:29 am
In a related matter, if you look at the Twitter feed on the blog, there’s a hilarious Rutherford freakout on his experience at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook. He goes on and on for seven tweets.
Apparently, Dan fell off the turnip truck on the way to the candidates forum yesterday and was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find that the Hyatt charged four times more than his beloved Red Roof Inn. Gollllllllyyyy, Gomer!
Not only that, but they charge for the Intertoobys, too. Roll-on-the-floor funny.
Rauner has his Carhartt and Harley? Dan’s going to be wearing bib overalls and riding a donkey pretty soon.
Of course, another tweet reports Rutherford’s having a funder at the Capitol Hill Club in DC this month. He might have to sell a prize hog to afford an overnight on the hill.
Do either Rauner or Rutherford think they’re going to top Quinn as a “Regular Guy?”
Can’t be done. Don’t even try.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:43 am
- J Nolan -
Dukakis in the tank with the Helmet.
Herbert Walker Bush watching a cashier use a scanner.
Yeah, people see Dopey things … as you say … when the TIME is right.
BTW, - J Nolan -,
If people dig themselves some of that “Rutherford regular guy” stuff …where o’ where is the Pongee???
Yeah, I’ll keep looking for that…
No need to make yourself look like a Dope, your opponents don’t need the help either, so why do it? You skould think about that as you look up Pongee’s status on That Facebook the kids talk about.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:44 am
For what it is worth as a guy who travels for business I too find it a bit stupid that hotels charge for internet access anymore…
Comment by OneMan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:48 am
Wordslinger,
I’ll admit, the hotel tweets were bad.
Willy,
President vs Governor. Apples vs Oranges.
Silly Actions vs Silly tweets. Apples vs Oranges.
If “dopey” social media messages are the best arrows in your sling against the Rutherford campaign then I should say he is doing VERY well. What else is there? Money, Ground game built over years, and a good conservative (but not extreme) record. Anything else?
Comment by J. Nolan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 10:52 am
I don’t believe this to be the case: === That Rauner burn rate has to make some who have maxed out on him SOME pause. ===
If SuperPACs were as prevalent or really around at all for Gidwitz, we might have a Gov Gidwitz.
Some of the ‘bigger donors’ will spend high 6 figures on this.
Comment by So what? Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 11:08 am
- So what? -,
Gidwitz, with all the money he spent, and all the dollars that tried to make him viable …
Gidwitz was a “nobody” come election day.
No amount of money for Gidwitz was going to make Ron Gidwitz …
Likeable,…Relate-able, or even …Electable.
If cash on hand, or even in your own bamk account was the true measure, we might have had Blair Hull, Jack Ryan, Ron Gidwitz …
Should we continue?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 11:14 am
Wish we did have Jack Ryan.
Comment by A guy... Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 11:24 am
Check out how many family members and relatives Rutherford has on his payroll ! I was shocked and has me thinking Dan Rutherford is just the same as the rest of the political lifers that have run our state into the ground.
Comment by SlapShotII Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 11:37 am
No maxed out contributor ever had pause about a candidates burn rate. Imagine what would have to occur for said rich person to develop “pause”.
“Alice, I maxed out to Bruce Rauner. Pull his D-2 and run an analysis on his burn rate!”
“Right away, Mr. Smithington”.
Comment by John P Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 11:48 am
- John P -,
Rich donors, like to be on the wining side. If after all this frist run money is blown, and Rauner is still running low, yeah, they take pause, not because of the money, but because you want to be with a “winner”…
Otherwise, you wouldn’t have donors giving to both sides of a race … especially after a poll has the “other” guy leading. Just saying.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 11:51 am
I still think the tea party will activate for brady and he’ll be there at the end. Rauner seems to be trying to do what Kirk did for a lot of years which is to play moderate, duck and run on social issues and then really troll the right hard on fiscal issues. Unfortunately for him he has 2 guys in Rutherford and Dillard who can splinter away moderate votes and Brady is no Pat Hughes.
Dillard’s race is now a referendum on the lasting political viability of Jim Edgar. He’s essentially spent 5 years to borrow from Joe Biden running on a noun, a verb, and Jim Edgar instead of building a Dillard brand and that now looks sketchy at best. In a country that doesn’t remember what happened last week, trying to push a job 20 years ago seems hard to sell.
Freirichs is really important for Democrats and Republicans. If democrats want to keep their stranglehold on the state they need to produce a new generation of statewide candidates who can start to fill in and eventually replace the quinns, durbins, whites, madigans and cullertons. For Republicans the problem with him is a lot of these guys aren’t tainted by the blago/stroger era and will be hard to use that to sink them.
Comment by shore Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 12:14 pm
True that, Willy. The one percent, if you will, look at campaign contributions as just another investment and they will move the money around candidates like they do between stocks and bonds depending what is “trending up.”
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 12:32 pm
===If “dopey” social media messages are the best arrows in your sling against the Rutherford campaign then I should say he is doing VERY well. What else is there? Money, Ground game built over years, and a good conservative (but not extreme) record. Anything else?===
Do you really want me to go into it, all the mistakes, this first term?
Your choice, I am asking …
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 12:35 pm
Ultimately money will not be Patrick Quinn’s biggest problem. Patrick Quinn’s biggest problem is he is Patrick Quinn. Madigan and Cullerton along with the Illinois Courts have made Quinn irrelevant. If the republicans can’t beat him then they should all quit and go back to investment banking.
Comment by Rollo Tomasi Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 12:41 pm
Willy,
Yes please explain all of the issues with Rutherford in the context of this campaign. Brady has his unique ability to lose, Dillard has his lurch to the right with the backdrop of an Obama Ad, and you have done well explaining everything wrong with Rauner. What is Rutherford’s death knell? What is that one glaring thing conservatives OR moderates cannot stand about him?
If your going to go into knit-picky, nuanced things having to do with running a constitutional office then do not even bother - those things will not get brought up in this primary and you know that, if there even is anything. What is going to brought up in this campaign about him? What are the ads cut against him going to say?
Comment by J. Nolan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:23 pm
I find the payroll tax figures pretty interesting. I just don’t see many Rauner people around, and am suspecting he must be paying a limited number of folks some top dollar figures — just like in his previous business. I guess we will see. And $0 spent on staff payroll for Dillard? …… Must …. Get … Field … Staff … Going. If he does not get people out there yesterday, he is going to be mostly reliant on an expensive media buy. Edgar is a great personal figure, but he no longer keeps in adequate contact with the county organizations. Legacy Edgar campaign folks don’t seem to be engaged in the field in volunteer work. His path is looking increasingly narrow. Brady? Looks like a no-cost approach based on hope the multiple competitors may thread the needle for him. Don’t need staff to do that, and there is some rationality to it. Dan the man needs to restrain himself from spending much more on staff. Enough is enough. Cash will be king.
Comment by Chad Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:35 pm
For his state office? Have a link or something?
Comment by OneMan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:37 pm
- J Nolan -,
Ok …let’s start with …
Dan Rutherford, does he cater to insiders?
Dan Rutherford, and the email to insiders about the matching Bright Start funds, allowing friends and family to get into the program before others…was that just a mistake… or….
Or, was Treasurer Rutherford “asleep at the switch”, maybe too busy with the Pongee Facebook, or tweeting pictures of himself eating Taco Bell to realize what is going on in his office? Maybe too busy furing what is considered a time of business tweeting about movies Treasurer Rutherford is watching while running on a treadmill?
Insiders possibly getting special treatment for a program that was suppose to be open to all? Who is paying attention?
Should I continue, or have I made a point?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:37 pm
Sorry …
Maybe too busy Facebooking or tweeting, during a time most consider “business hours”… tweeting about movies Treasurer Rutherford is watching while running on a treadmill?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:40 pm
Willy,
LOL
“By the numbers, it’s not an enormous scandal: the Trib only found that three employees forwarded the message, and about 25 people received it.”
Emails were sent out same time mail was sent. Unfortunately emails…send faster. Sounds like some staff member made a mistake.
Given what I and others have pointed out about the other three, this is the best you got? This is what is going to stick? OK, Ok…
Comment by J. Nolan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:47 pm
And again, more than half your response btw was your disdain for his preference for interesting tweets. Still sounds like your biggest arrow…
Comment by J. Nolan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:48 pm
===Sounds like some staff member made a mistake.===
So, Treasurer Rutherford has no control over the office? The Treasurer’s Office is quite smaller than the Governor’s Office. If you can’t control the Treasurer’s Office on a simple rollout, and then blame the Staff, according to you …
Maybe Dan is not up to being governor.
How about the Social Security numbers visable during a mailing to 36.000 citizens.
Wow, no one could check before the mailing went out from the bank that 36,000 social security numbers would be visable? No one checked that?
Wonder what Tweets, wonder what movies Dan Rutherford was posting about during the time those exposed Social Securiy numbers were seen?
Maybe Dan Rutherford thinks the details… just aren’t important, but we all should know how the Treasurer feels about Old Yeller, or what the Treasurer’s favorite fall pie is to eat?
there were 36,000 letters and no one thought about checking about SSN safety? Is the password to the Twitter account more important than someone’s SSN?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 1:56 pm
BUT hey, you might be right, the Treasurer should pay more attention and make sure a private bank can do its job correctly. snark
You are trying, I understand. If this stuff was good then you would be leading with it. Keep going…
Comment by J. Nolan Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 2:06 pm
Steve Kim is not prepared to run the 5th largest state in America. Up until the announcement, “Dave” Kim was a punch line for a rather pathetic “walk” against Lisa Madigan, which resulted in no new base for Steve Kim himself to launch, and with the announcement having to add, “You know, the guy who ran against Lisa… THAT guy …” as Steve Kim’s cache to the ticket.
The first major decision by Dan Rutherford, and Mr. Rutherford feels Lisa Madigan’s “Put-Up” opponent is the best person to take over Illinois if something were to happen to Dan Rutherford?
Rutherford’s first decision for the best contingency plan for Illinois is a “fail”.
I’ll leave it there, the Governmental OR is there, these three are indeed easy pickings, and even Rauner’s inept crew can find these, so I have no problem posting it, I am not breaking ground, nor am I damaging what is already out there.
If you think that Dan Rutherford is going to be unscathed by how he has run the office, including the laissez faire attitude, we will see.
You can use the “search” key and look on this site to see other office stuff.
Agian, if Pongee was such the asset, Pongee would still be around. We will see if any campaign was smart enough to get all the tweets, including the recent ones about… a hotel …a hotel, really?
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Oct 21, 13 @ 2:19 pm