GOP Closing Fundraising Gap, but Still Lags Behind Dems
Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) raised around $480,000 in the third quarter and has around $1 million cash on hand. But Senate President Don Hamon’s campaign account continues to hover around $10 million.
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Over the last decade, Republican leaders, minus the few years Bruce Rauner was pumping money into the GOP, have found themselves in a deep fundraising hole compared to majority Democrats.
Under new leadership in 2023, with House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savana) and Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove), the fortunes of the two campaign arms appear to be on the upward trajectory,
In their two accounts, the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee and the Senate Republican Victory Fund, Senate Republicans reported around $300,000 cash on hand, compared to around $670,000 cash on hand for Senate Democrats. The gap is markedly closed, though, from the June 30 fundraising with Senate Republicans trailed Senate Democrats by more than a million dollars.
Curran also had an improved performance in his personal campaign account. Curran raised around $480,000 in the third quarter, and reported around $980,000 cash on hand, far outpacing his predecessors in a non-election year.
But, Senate President Don Harmon continues to be a fundraising juggernaut. Harmon raised around $1.8 million in his personal campaign account in the third quarter and has around $9.7 million cash on hand.
But, Senate Democrats, for their part, burned through more than $680,000 in the third quarter of the year. Generally, when large expenditures like that are made, it comes in transfers to other committees, but Senate Democrats only sent $26,000 to Democratic politicians.
Expenditures included nearly $70,000 to two firms for “political work” and “voter contact,” around $20,000 to a suburban minor league baseball team for a fundraiser, $36,000 to the firm of Democratic operative Rebecca Evans, and payroll for around 17 staff.
“It is an election year,” said Magen Ryan, who runs the Senate campaign arm.
But, records show in the third quarter of 2021, Senate Democrats spent around $390,000 compared to the around $682,000 spent in the third quarter of 2023. Every seat in the Senate was up for election in 2022 and about a third of seats are up in 2024.
In the House, the three committees controlled by GOP Leader McCombie reported around $490,000 cash to around $535,000 cash for House Democrats. At the end of 2022, House Republicans trailed Democrats by around half a million dollars.
In her personal account, McCombie raised around $225,000 in the third quarter and had around $485,000 cash on hand.
But, House Speaker Chris Welch raised more than $1.6 million in the third quarter and reported around $3.3 million cash on hand at the end of September.