From The Chicago Sun-Times:

Big bucks for Blagojevich

October 22, 2002

BY SCOTT FORNEK AND DAVE MCKINNEY STAFF REPORTERS

Democrat Rod Blagojevich is raking in money at a record-breaking clip, beefing up his gubernatorial campaign war chest by nearly $10 million in the last 16 weeks alone.

The whopping infusion of campaign cash brings the Northwest Side congressman's total for the year to nearly $18 million--beating the previous record in half the time.

"He's doing what he was on course to do, but it's still staggering," said Cindi Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

And Democrat Lisa Madigan added more than $3.1 million to her fund in the same period, bringing the total she raised for her attorney general campaign this year to more than $6.8 million--more than double that of her Republican opponent.

The fund-raising bonanza for Democrats was revealed in information the campaigns provided and disclosure reports already on file Monday. Hard data were not available in all the races because some of the campaigns had not filed their documents by late Monday evening.

But the reports and interviews with campaign aides show both Blagojevich and Madigan are easily outraising their competition, prompting the GOP rivals to cry foul.

"Rod Blagojevich can be for sale, but the governor's mansion is not," said Republican gubernatorial nominee Jim Ryan.

Ryan has raised $3,902,567 since July 1, bringing his total for the year to $9,065,478.

Blagojevich raised $9,985,347.79 in just the last 16 weeks, bringing his total for the year to $17,943,178.65. That 101/2-month tally easily eclipses the record $15.5 million that Republican George Ryan raised during the 20 months leading up to his 1998 election as governor.

Over a roughly comparable period, Blagojevich's total for the last 22 months is $21,464,720.11, but his campaign officials dismissed Jim Ryan's griping that the fund-raising prowess is a case of government for sale.

"To say we're trying to buy the governor's mansion is another example of excuses and finger-pointing on the part of Jim Ryan," said Blagojevich spokesman Doug Scofield. "It's ridiculous. That's the last excuse of a campaign that's failing on every level."

Blagojevich's biggest backer during the period was the Illinois Education Association, whose political action committee gave him $500,000. Other top donors included the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, each of which kicked in $250,000.

Jim Ryan's most generous contributor was Joseph Krehbiel, chairman of Molex Industries, who gave $220,000. Ryan also received $100,000 each from the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican National State Elections Committee.

In the campaign to succeed Ryan as attorney general, Madigan raised $3,104,536.98 since July 1, bringing her total this year to $6,845,424.

Republican rival Joe Birkett raised $1,261,134 over the last 16 weeks. That brings his total this year to $2,771,561.51.

Madigan, a state senator from the Lake View neighborhood, raised $942,214.59 in the last two weeks alone--nearly three times the $343,150 that Birkett, who is DuPage County state's attorney, took in during that same time frame.

Madigan spokeswoman Melissa Merz rejected Birkett's argument that Madigan's father, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, was twisting arms to get Democratic donors to open their wallets. She attributed the disparity to contributors learning about Birkett's opposition to abortion, alliance with gun rights groups and "cozy relationship" with defense lawyers.

"The more people learn about him, the more they want to donate to the [Madigan] campaign," Merz said. "We have just seen a real surge in fund-raising the more people learn about Joe Birkett and his extreme positions."

Birkett spokesman Steve Binder said, "That is just ludicrous," and attributed Lisa Madigan's fund-raising success to judicial candidates and others wanting to curry favor with her powerful father.

"She wouldn't be where she is right now but for the influence of her father, and now we are seeing the financial impact of that," Binder said. "The numbers don't lie. ... They clearly show her father's influence in every way. ... Joe isn't extreme. He is more in the mainstream on a host of issues, including abortion."