From the Peoria Journal Star:

Candidates may spend a combined $3 million

Schock, Spears have raised more than $1 million in Illinois House race

Thursday, October 26, 2006
By MOLLY PARKER

Of the Journal Star
PEORIA - The amount of money six local candidates running in competitive House and Senate campaigns have raised could - according to an Internet ad - buy a 3,700-acre island in South America with enough cash left over for a boat and a fancy home.

Instead, the candidates for the 91st and 92nd District House races and the 46th Senate District seat have raised more than $3 million combined vying for jobs in Springfield that pay less than $60,000.

In 2004, three House races broke the $1 million mark. Thus far this year, there are four House races that have raised more than $1 million, including two locally between Republican Rep. Aaron Schock and Democrat Bill Spears, and Democrat Rep. Mike Smith and Republican Daryl Dagit.

Senate candidates Democrat Dave Koehler and Republican Ernie Russell haven't raised even half as much as their counterparts in

the House, though their race still ranks fifth in terms of money rolling into a Senate race.

"It's not at all normal," said David Morrison of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "Typically, you'll have two or three state House races that break a million over the whole state . . . you don't have them all in Peoria. But you have more than your fair share."

92nd House District

Schock raised at least $680,000 during the last four months, with total fundraising for the year of more than $900,000, according to reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Spears raised more than $377,000 during the past four months, putting his fundraising total for the year at more than $416,000.

Their campaign funds combined, Schock and Spears mark the second-most lucrative House race in the state, Morrison said.

Two years ago, Schock and his Democratic opponent, Rep. Ricca Slone, broke the state spending record for a House race, pumping a combined $1.4 million into their campaigns, with large sums of money coming from the House Republican and Democratic leadership.

This time around, about one-third of Schock's funds, or roughly $300,000, has been donated by the Illinois Republican Party, House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego or the funds he controls.

About 60 percent, or $240,900, of the funds raised by Spears has come from the Democratic Party of Illinois chaired by Democrat House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago.

Raising more than $900,000 since January, Schock, in his first term in the House, has turned heads with his ability to rake in donations in numbers far greater than many of his senior colleagues.

91st House District

The race between Smith and Dagit is shaping up to be almost as expensive. As of earlier this week, the 91st District campaign ranked third in terms of total fundraising.

Smith raised more than $735,000 during the past four months, and about $868,900 since the beginning of the year.

Almost half of those funds - roughly $400,000 - came from the state Democratic Party.

Twelve years ago, when Smith ran for the first time, the Canton Democrat said he spent less than $100,000 in the primary and general election combined.

"In fact, I think you could take my last six campaigns and it would be well under (the money raised for this race)," Smith said.

Dagit raised at least $389,000 during the past four months and over $400,000 for the year.

Of those totals, about 77 percent - or $308,000 - came from the state Republican Party and Cross's organization.

"When I first agreed to run, I knew we would be overspent, the estimates were two to one," Dagit said, adding "All this money's being spent, but we still have a ton of undecided voters out there."

46th Senate District

Koehler and Russell's campaigns aren't quite as rich.

Interestingly, Russell has raised almost twice as much money as Koehler, even though Russell didn't enter the race until this summer after GOP nominee Blair Gambill dropped out.

Russell raised more than $420,000 during the past four months, about the length of time he's been in the race, with about 55 percent, or $227,000 coming from Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson of Greenville and the Illinois Republican Party.

Koehler has raised just more than $178,000 during the same period, and about $256,000 since January. He's taken only one $50,000 check from the fund controlled by Senate President Emil Jones of Chicago.

Koehler said he's spending just a little more than what he had budgeted for the race.

"I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend half a million on this kind of race," he said, adding, "If you really want to talk about being frugal you should start with your campaign."

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