FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Cindi Canary, ICPR
Kent Redfield, Sunshine Project
217-206-6572
Contributing
a combined $2.35 million, the two major teachers’ unions ranked first and third
in campaign contributions to candidates for state office in the 1999-2000 election
cycle in
Total spending of $1.37 million by the Illinois Education Association (IEA) topped the list of the largest private sector contributors, according to figures compiled by the Sunshine Project and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR). The Illinois Federation of Teachers and its largest local, the Chicago Teachers Union, ranked third with more than $975,000 in contributions.
Sandwiched between the two labor organizations was the Illinois State Medical Society, which came in second place with contributions of $1,026,000. While the IEA and the Illinois State Medical Society have long been the “Big Two” of Illinois politics (more than $1 million each for the last four election cycles), campaign contributions from the IFT have increased dramatically in recent years. IFT contributions in the 2000 campaign shot up from four years ago when the IFT contributed less than $425,000 and ranked 8th statewide.
“School funding and education policy debates have been and will continue to be key issues before the General Assembly,” said Kent Redfield, the Director of the Sunshine Project and a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “In Illinois, big issues always attract big money.”
Redfield noted that the large majority of campaign contributions in the 2000 election went to incumbent legislators in “safe” seats, to the four legislative leaders and to constitutional officers not even on the ballot in the 2000 election.
The contributions made by the top 20 contributors jumped from $9.5 million in 1996 – the last time there were no statewide candidates for state offices – to $11.5 million in 2000.
“Based on recent trends and the absence of any reforms, Illinois’ upward spiral of campaign contributions will continue,” said Cindi Canary, Director of the ICPR, a non-partisan campaign watchdog group. “Not only will there be contests for governor and all other constitutional offices in 2002, but the new legislative map will change the political landscape. Combine the uncertainty of the new map with Illinois’ wide open campaign finance laws, and the result will be the most expensive campaign in Illinois history.”
“Contributions to Illinois candidates are concentrated in a relatively small number of associations, unions and corporations with the same groups dominating the process year after year,” said Redfield. “The list of top contributors to Illinois campaigns has been very stable during the decade.”
Not far behind the teachers’ and doctors’ groups in the list of top private sector contributors in the 2000 campaign were the Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association ($882,000), the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois ($776,000); the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association ($712,000); Ameritech/SBC ($600,000); the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association ($567,000); the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees-AFSCME ($491,000); and the Cable TV and Communication Association of Illinois ($473,000).
The remainder of the top 20 were the Illinois Association of Realtors ($446,000); Illinois Power/Illinova ($444,000); UNIPAC, which is the political action committee of Commonwealth Edison ($435,000); the Illinois Bankers Association ($425,000); Philip Morris Corporation ($349,000), Personal PAC, which supports abortion rights ($327,000); UDV North America Inc. ($326,000); the Chicago law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt ($292,000); the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce ($281,000); and the Hotel and Restaurant Employee Union-TIP ($253,000).
Seven groups have been in the top 10 each of the last four election cycles: the IEA, the Illinois State Medical Society, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois. The Illinois Association of Realtors (11th in 2000) and the Illinois Bankers Association (14th in 2000) were in the top 10 each of the three previous election cycles.
The only newcomer on the list is 17th ranked UDV North America, Inc. (United Distillers and Vintners). UDV, the North American subsidiary of Guiness, only began giving in Illinois after the 1999 passage of the Wine and Spirits Fair Dealing Act or “Wirtz Bill.” The bill, which was opposed by UDV, virtually prohibited liquor manufacturers from canceling their contracts with their distributor.
The Sunshine Project is based at the University of Illinois at Springfield and is funded by the Joyce Foundation. Its goal is to increase public awareness and understanding of the role of money in Illinois politics.
The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization chaired by former U.S. Senator Paul Simon and funded by the Joyce Foundation. The ICPR is working to reform campaign finance and ethics laws in Illinois.
Profiles of the top 20 contributors including their contribution patterns are available at www.ilcampaign.org/top20/99-00.html.