Wilson adds $3M, but Durbin has fund edge
Dems Underwood, Casten hold cash advantage over GOP challengers
Two first-term suburban Democratic House incumbents held a cash advantage over their challengers heading into the Nov. 3 election, as did U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin even though a third-party-challenger has pumped $3 million into his self- funded campaign, third quarter federal campaign disclosure reports showed.
The reports showed Durbin had more than $4.2 million in his campaign account to start this month after raising more than $1.3 million in the previous three months.
WillieWilson, a wealthy glove distributor who has been sidelined in recent days after testing positive for the coronavirus, reported nearly $2.2 million in cash available after injecting $3 million in his self-funded bid to upset Durbin under the Willie Wilson Party label. Wilson previously put$60,000into his campaign.
Wilson’s disclosure reports showed he paid former state Sen. Rickey Hendon a total of $100,000 for work in August and September as a field director for his campaign. Hendon has long been a controversial activist and self promoter on Chicago’s West Side.
Far behind Durbin and Wilson in the Senate money race is RepublicanMark Curran, a former threeterm Lake County sheriff. Records showed Curran raised more than $116,000 from July through September and spent nearly $102,000 of it, leaving him with $35,198 in cash to start October. Among his expenses was repaying him
self half of a $20,000 loan he gave his campaign.
Daniel Malouf, the Libertarian candidate in the race, had $2,029 to start this month while Green Party candidate David Black did not file a report.
In the west and northwest suburban 6th Congressional District, freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove reported nearly $2 million in cash on hand after raising $1.1 million in the previous three months. He began the last quarter with more than $3 million in his campaign account.
His Republican challenger, former state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton, raised $1.1 million in the three-month period but spent most of it and reported having $493,239 in
cash left to begin October.
In the west and north suburban and exurban 14th Congressional District, first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. LaurenUnderwood of Naperville began July with nearly $3.2 million, spent $2.7 million through September and began October with $2.3 million.
Underwood’s challenger, Republican state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove, a dairy magnate and financial adviser, reported having $875,841 to start the month after giving his campaign a $600,000 loan. Overall, Oberweis has given his congressional campaign $1.7 million, federal records showed.
In a nationally watched congressional race Downstate, four-termRepublican Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville began the month with a slight cash advantage over Democratic challenger Betsy Dirksen Londrigan of Springfield
Campaign reports showed Davis had $1.7 million in cash available to start the month while Londrigan, who lost to Davis two years ago by fewer than 2,100 votes, had $1.3 million to begin October. Londrigan outraised Davis in the July through September period, $1.55 million to $1.2 million.