The GOP Cash Crunch
A primary season TV ad from GOP gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey.
Senate Republicans see an opening.
They believe embattled Sen. Mike Hastings (D-Frankfort), who is embroiled in controversy surrounding a settlement with a former legislative staffer and accusations of domestic abuse, is vulnerable in a district JB Pritzker won by 15 points in 2018.
The problem is, the Senate GOP is scrambling for cash to help Patrick Sheehan, the Plainfield police officer hoping to unseat Hastings, up on TV and competitive over the final five weeks.
Billionaire Richard Uihlein gave $2.1 million so Senate GOP Leader Dan McConchie in early September, which has allowed the Senate Republians to get multiple candidates up on TV, including Dennis Reboletti in the suburbs, Mike Thoms in the Quad Cities, Sandy Hamilton in Springfield, and Erica Conway Harriss in the Metro East.
A source says a fundraiser last week for McConchie in suburban Oak Brook brought in just $10,000, though Senate Republicans dispute that figure.
“It’s a terrible time to be a Republican right now,” said a longtime GOP operative. “You aren’t relevant in Springfield and it means donors don’t want to invest their time in you.”
The money problems impact GOP candidates from the top of the ticket down.
Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), the Republican nominee for Governor, received $1 million from Uihlein at the end of August and has raised around $435,000 in large donations since then. It pales in comparison to the $20 million billionaire Governor JB Pritzker gave himself last month to replenish his campaign.
Bailey has yet to run a single TV ad since winning the GOP nomination in June.
“If you have a southern Illinois conservative who has to present a message to suburban voters who don’t know him, you have to be on TV,” said another GOP consultant. “Bailey hasn’t been able to do that, and he’s allowed JB Pritzker to define who he is. And that hasn’t been pretty.”
The situation is even bleaker for House Republicans. Large donors like Uihlein have been silent and Democrats are running TV ads in more than a dozen races while the GOP isn’t on the air in any.
“[House GOP Leader] Jim Durkin put all his efforts this spring in cozying up to Ken Griffin, expecting millions,” said a former GOP lawmaker. “Now they’re paying for it.”
Many insiders we spoke to believe GOP fundraising troubles can be traced back to Bruce Rauner’s takeover of the party in 2014. Rauner funded numerous campaigns and causes to the tune of millions of dollars.
“Republicans stopped calling their top donors because they were waiting for [Rauner’s] cash,” an operative said. “Now there’s no fundraising base to speak of. And Democrats have their billionaire sugar daddy (Pritzker) and unions raising all the money they need.”
How does the GOP turn it around?
“We have to engage the business community,” said a former lawmaker. “We have to show them a return on investment and make it clear that funding Republican candidates isn’t like throwing money out the window during a tornado.”