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Contribution caps blown in attorney general race

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Illinois

* Missed in yesterday’s hullabaloo over yesterday’s Janus decision was a $255,000 independent expenditure by Fight Back for a Better Tomorrow PAC (click here).

Fight Back for a Better Tomorrow, you’ll recall, is run by top officials of Operating Engineers Union Local 150. The dark money super PAC spent well over a million bucks in the attorney general’s primary against Rep. Scott Drury and former Gov. Pat Quinn. The end game was to help Sen. Kwame Raoul’s bid, and it worked.

The latest expenditure is designated as “Media - television” in support of Sen. Raoul’s general election campaign.

Contribution caps are lifted after a statewide candidate contributes more than $250,000 to his/her own campaign or someone else expends more than that amount to benefit or oppose a statewide campaign.

The Illinois State Board of Elections just formally lifted the caps (click here).

JB Pritzker and Gov. Rauner and other bigtime money-bags are now free to give Raoul and Erika Harold whatever they want.

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 9:49 am

Comments

Seems Union 💰larger than corporate 💰 in Illinois. Probably all the cash is too secret to knife sure.

Comment by 44th Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 9:55 am
Helps Harold. Her fundraising base is rather narrow, but deep.

Comment by DarkHorse Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 10:08 am
I find it hard to believe JB will open the check book for Raoul. On the other hand Rauner and friends will spend whatever it takes to help Harold win. $8 million in TV ads…….

Comment by Rocky Rosi Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 10:09 am
===On the other hand Rauner and friends will spend whatever it takes to help Harold win.===

Ask Leslie Munger about that…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 10:10 am
I prefer to Fight Back with David Horowitz.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 10:12 am
===hard to believe JB will open the check book for Raoul===

Why? I’m legitimately curious here.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 10:15 am
–On the other hand Rauner and friends will spend whatever it takes to help Harold win.–

Three presumptions not in evidence: one, that Rauner has friends; two, that they care who the next AG is; three, that they’ll write fat checks for Harold.

If you look at Harold’s committee report at ISBE, it looks like the Illinois GOP is paying the daily bills, but other than that, not a lot of action.

Jennifer Pritzker, however, kicked in $5,600.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 10:19 am
Does JB need to open the books for Raoul? Now his tobacco guy is free to spend whatever he wants on him.

Comment by m Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 10:41 am
Raoul supported and voted to raise the tobacco buying age to 21. It would not appear donations has effected his judgement as much as those receiving Retailers Association money. Raoul has the better background for AG.

As nice, smart and well educated Erika Harold is, some of her positions are not merely unpopular statewide but aggravate and activate an opposition base.

Comment by Al Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 11:00 am
“…are not compelled in violation of the First Amendment to pay fees to support speech and advocacy they do not feel benefits them and with which they disagree.”

I believe that same legal precedent should apply to corporations. Janus is actually a big government, liberal, nanny-state decision.

Comment by Mike Cirrincione Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 11:05 am
Senator Raoul’s campaign was constantly facing the threat of Rauner’s money supporting Ms. Harold’s campaign. Outside money to support Raoul is an indication that he may have a fighting chance at keeping up her with through Labor Day.

I admit that I am surprised that the cap was blown so soon and was blown on the Democrat side. However, it seemed inevitable that the cap would be blown given the strong likelihood that Rauner would financially support his “hand-picked” candidate.

Comment by buffalo soldier Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 11:16 am
Can’t wait for the next scotus to declare corporations person enough to hold elected office and usher in the Jeff Bezos/ExxonMobil 2028 candidacy.

Comment by Bumblin stumblin rumblin Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 2:43 pm
according to SCOTUS money = speech. Therefore,if money = speech, speech is not free.

Comment by lost in the weeds Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 4:36 pm
Not only does this open the spigot for Pritzker, but for Local 150 as well

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 5:12 pm
It really is gross that we can’t seem to figure out a campaign finance system that isn’t so awful. Other states don’t have this problem, why do we?

Comment by Just Me Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 5:43 pm
===Other states don’t have this problem===

Which ones are those?

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 28, 18 @ 5:52 pm