From The Chicago Sun-Times:

The Back Room

October 21, 2002

BY LYNN SWEET WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

ALARMING TRENDS

More campaign money in Illinois is coming from fewer donors, which raises
even more the already high risk of a candidate being beholden to big
contributors, says a new analysis by the watchdog Illinois Campaign for
Political Reform (www.ilcampaign.org).

The number of contributions of $10,000-plus to governor and attorney general
candidates is 138 for the first half of 1998 compared with 402 in the first
half of 2002.

All four Dem and GOP major state candidates are dependent on a small pool of
big donors:

Rod Blagojevich--6 percent of the contributions account for just over 60
percent of his funds. Blagojevich has 175 contributions of $10,000-plus,
which add up to $4.5 million.

Jim Ryan--4 percent of the contributions account for about 52 percent of his
funds. Ryan has 106 contributions of $10,000-plus, totaling $2.5 million.

Lisa Madigan--3.9 percent of the contributions account for about 54 percent
of her funds. Madigan has 94 contributions of $10,000-plus for $1.7 million.

Joe Birkett--3.7 percent of the contributions account for about 54 percent
of the funds. Birkett has only 24 contributions of $10,000 or more, for
$734,256.