Posted by Rick Pearson at 4:45 p.m.
The two Democrats and six Republicans running for governor have collected more than $5.3 million in political donations since the first of the year, campaign finance reports show.
State law requires candidates to report any donation of $500 or more starting Jan. 1. Topping the governor candidates running in next Tuesday’s primary is Republican Andy McKenna, the former state GOP chairman, who piled up nearly $2.3 million in contributions since the year began. More than $1.7 million, however, are loans from his immediate family. McKenna, a prolific TV advertiser, also got $75,000 from the Duchossois family of Arlington Park fame.
Ahead on the Democratic side is Gov. Pat Quinn, who has taken in $1.2 million since the year began.
Quinn still trails his Feb. 2 opponent, Comptroller Dan Hynes, in overall fundraising. Hynes started out with more money in his campaign fund at the beginning of the contest, and he has used that money advantage to air TV ads featuring the late Mayor Harold Washington blasting Quinn’s competence as City Hall revenue director.
Quinn has complained loudly about the ads being unfair because Hynes’ father, Tom Hynes, worked against Washington nearly a quarter-century ago. That, however, hasn’t stopped Quinn from taking $200,000 in loans from committees headed by Ald. Ed Burke (14th). Burke and then-Ald. Edward Vrdolyak headed up the 29-21 “Council wars” opposition to Washington on the City Council.
Quinn also got $100,000 from a loan taken out by his mother, Eileen, and another $100,000 loan from former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. The Service Employees International Union has chipped in another $114,000 in cash and services since the first of the year.
Hynes has taken in about $626,000, about half of Quinn’s total since Jan. 1. Hynes has gotten donations of at least $100,000 from the Laborers’ union, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association.
From January 2009 through today, Quinn has raised $5.4 million to $3.8
million for Hynes. But Hynes has the money advantage because he had
$2.9 million in cash on hand to start 2009, while Quinn had $83,512 to begin 2009.
Back on the Republican side, state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale got $585,000 since Jan. 1, including $250,000 from the Illinois Education Association and $131,000 in mailing costs and loans from Chicago businessman Ronald Gidwitz, an unsuccessful 2006 Republican governor candidate.
Former two-term Republican Attorney General Jim Ryan of Elmhurst has taken in at least $305,000 since the new year, including $25,000 from Indeck Energy Services CEO Gerald Forsythe and Turtle Wax CEO Denis Healy and $20,000 from former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb.
State Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican, has received at least $152,000 so far in 2010, including $50,000 from Springfield insurance underwriter Midwest Financial Holdings.
Chicago political consultant Dan Proft has received $121,000 since the first of the year, $70,000 of which came from Richard Uihlein of Waukegan, the CEO of Uline, a packing and shipping supply company based in Waukegan.
Adam Andrzejewski, a transparency advocate from Hinsdale, reported $41,500 in contributions since Jan. 1. Andrzejewski is hosting a Friday fundraiser in Chicago featuring an endorsement of his candidacy from former Poland President Lech Walesa.