From The State Journal-Register:

Blagojevich rakes in funds
Had banked five times as much as Ryan by June 30

By BERNARD SCHOENBURG
POLITICAL WRITER

With just over three months before the Nov. 5 election, the gubernatorial race to raise funds is no contest - the Democrat, Rod Blagojevich, is swamping Republican Jim Ryan, campaign finance reports filed Wednesday show.

Blagojevich's campaign said he had $5.25 million on hand as of Wednesday, after raising about $1.5 million in July. On June 30 - the last day of the six-month period covered by the new reports - Blagojevich had more than $3.8 million in his fund.

Ryan's campaign did not disclose fund-raising numbers beyond the six months ending June 30, and on that date, the Ryan campaign had $689,809 on hand. That's less than a fifth of what Blagojevich had at that time.

"We've raised a significant among in July, but we're not releasing any figures," said Ryan spokesman Dan Curry.

Blagojevich, a Chicago congressman, had earlier revealed that he raised more than $7.5 million in the first six months of 2002. Specifics of that fund raising were reported Wednesday, the deadline for the report for that six-month period.

Ryan's report showed he started the year with about $2.66 million, raised neary $4.9 million and spent more than $6.8 million during the six months. Both candidates faced primary opposition.

Blagojevich spent more than $7.4 million during the six-month period. He started the year with nearly $3.7 million in the bank.

One of Ryan's top contributors was Stuart Levine, an investor who gave him $50,000 in March and $100,000 in June. Levine is a Chicago attorney and former member of the Illinois Gaming Board. He was a law school classmate of Ryan, who also received $50,000 from the Illinois State Medical Society's political action fund.

Among $25,000 donations to Ryan were ones from the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, Zurich American Insurance Co. and John Krehbiel Jr., co-chairman of Lisle-based Molex Corp. He got $22,000 from James Hausman, owner of The Gold Center in Springfield.

Ryan's report also showed that his campaign paid more than $300,000 to Unistat, a Lombard business that had been owned by former state Rep. Roger Stanley, a Republican who was recently indicted in the Operation Safe Road federal corruption probe. Stanley was accused of paying bribes to get contracts with the Metra commuter rail agency.

Blagojevich spokesman Doug Scofield said that shows Jim Ryan's inability to separate himself from the "corrupt practices" of Republican insiders. Eric Robinson, another Jim Ryan spokesman, said Unistat was used for campaign services in the primary, before Stanley was indicted. Since the indictment, he said, "Obviously, we won't use them."

Blagojevich's largest contributor was the Service Employees International Union, which gave $500,000 during the six-month period. During his primary campaign, Blagojevich was questioned by rivals about part of that money coming near the time Blagojevich voted in Congress against federalizing airport screener jobs represented by the union.

Scofield said Blagojevich "voted to make airline safety better and stronger" on that issue. "He voted his conscience."

Blagojevich also received $320,000 from the Illinois Federation of Teachers, which counts the Chicago Teachers Union as its biggest local. He got $125,000 from the Chicago law firm of Power, Rogers and Smith, where a partner, Joe Power, represented the Willis family that lost six children in an accident linked to the bribes-for-licenses scandal in the secretary of state administration of George Ryan.

The Democratic Governors' Association kicked in $120,000. CKG Consulting of Frankfort, which Scofield said is the company of businessman Chris Kelly, gave $39,500, in addition to $250,000 in loans just before the primary. Blair Hull, a financial investor considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2004, lent Blagojevich $100,00 and gave him $15,000. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31, which covers Illinois, gave him $100,000. And another $37,500 came from Altheimer & Gray, a Chicago law firm recently barred from continuing to represent Gov. Ryan's campaign committee in federal court.

Jim Ryan, at a Chicago news conference on another issue, downplayed his campaign cash deficit.

"We're doing the best we can," he said. "There's more to a race than raising money. ... All you have to do is raise enough money to get your message out, and we will."

But his campaign also complained that Blagojevich, who missed more than 130 votes in Congress since the primary, was shirking his job to raise money.

"Rod's ability to raise money is based primarily on his ability to raise issues," Scofield said. "Unlike our opponent, who has an all-negative all-the-time campaign, Rod Blagojevich is raising issues that matter to the people of Illinois." He said Jim Ryan's the one who has shown "absence from any effort to stop corruption in Illinois."

There was a similar fund-raising edge for Democrats in the race for attorney general. State Sen. Lisa Madigan's campaign outpaced that of DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett's by a more than a 2-to-1 margin.

Chicagoan Madigan's organization took in $3.1 million and spent nearly $3.5 million over the six-month period. Among the contributions was $21,500 from Altheimer & Gray. Another $30,000 came from the campaign fund of state Sen. Vince Demuzio, D-Carlinville.

The Madigan campaign had $385,618 on hand as of June 30, but the sum has since grown to about $650,000, according to Madigan spokesman David Schaper.

Birkett's campaign filed a report showing it raised nearly $1.45 million and spent $1.25 million. Birkett ended June with about $364,000 in the bank.

Binder blasted Madigan for receiving help from the state Democratic organization steered by her father, House Speaker Michael Madigan. Lisa Madigan's campaign reported that it received $617,671 in "in-kind" assistance, including several expenses absorbed by the Democratic Party. Binder said Birkett's in-kind contributions were less than $63,000.

"This is a race where Joe is basically running up against a Democratic machine, a well-oiled one that's led by none other than party boss Mike Madigan," Binder said. "It's going to be an uphill climb."

"Mr. Birkett relies on the help of the well-oiled Republican Party machine out of DuPage County," Schaper responded.

In the race for secretary of state, incumbent Democrat Jesse White held a huge money lead over Republican Kris O'Rourke Cohn, chairman of the Winnebago County Board.

Cohn started this year with $342,357 in her campaign fund, of which $250,000 was loans from her husband, Stuart. Since then, Cohn has raised another $131,050, the vast majority of it from Rockford-area individuals and businesses. Still, campaign manager Charlie Stone said the campaign is doing well.

"In the last month, we raised another $100,000," Stone said. "We're on target to raise $3 million."

Cohn's largest contributor in the first six months of the year was the Rockford-based Northern Illinois Building Contractors Association, which gave $20,000. The largest contribution from a political action committee was $2,000 from the Washington-based Wish List, which gives money to pro-choice Republican women.

White, meanwhile, raised more than $1.7 million. Combined with money he already had in his fund, White heads into the election season with more than $1.9 million in cash.

Among White's largest contributors were Robert Lozins of Chicago, owner of Artmark, with a $50,000 contribution, and Archer Daniels Midland with a $15,000 donation. The Illinois Community Currency Exchange political action committee also donated $15,000.

Among the candidates for lieutenant governor, Republican Carl Hawkinson's campaign warchest was slightly larger than that of his Democratic opponent, Pat Quinn.

Hawkinson, a state senator from Galesburg, ended the reporting period with $9,401, compared with $4,474 for Quinn.

Hawkinson started with $69,110, took in $275,933 and spent $335,642. The largest individual contribution to his campaign was $10,000 from Peoria-based Caterpillar Inc., but several of Hawkinson's Senate Republican colleagues chipped in more than $20,000 combined.

Quinn, running with Blagojevich, started with $26,847, took in $406,612 and spent $428,985. Quinn's campaign also received $165,000 in loans, including $135,000 from himself.

Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run as a team for the November election, and each duo will occupy just one spot on the ballot.

In the contest for comptroller, Democratic incumbent Dan Hynes was far ahead of Republican challenger Thomas Jefferson Ramsdell in fund raising. Hynes ended the campaign reporting period with nearly $1.7 million, compared with $4,108 for Ramsdell.

In the treasurer's race, Republican incumbent Judy Baar Topinka wound up with nearly $1.3 million at the end of the reporting period. Democratic challenger Tom Dart's campaign manager, Cathy Dunlap, said he had $512,000 on hand as of June 30.

Topinka started the reporting period with $671,651 and took in $858,356. Dart had $69,000 in the bank in January and raised $641,000 during the six months.

In the race for the Illinois Supreme Court's Fourth Judicial District, Democrat Sue Myerscough of Springfield ended the reporting period with $152,119, compared with $11,869 for Republican Rita Garman. Myerscough, who is an appellate judge, didn't have a primary opponent in the spring. But Garman, who was appointed to the Supreme Court to fill the spot opened with the retirement of former Justice Ben Miller, engaged in an expensive primary campaign against Robert Steigmann, an appellate judge.

Myerscough started the reporting period with $59,031, took in $103,981 and spent $10,893. Garman started with $88,148, took in $254,884 and spent $331,163.

Adriana Colindres and Doug Finke of the State Capitol Bureau and Mike Ramsey of Copley News Service contributed to this report. Bernard Schoenburg can be reached at 788-1540 or bernard.schoenburg@sj-r.com.