GOP Falls Further Behind Dems in Fundraising
House Speaker Chris Welch and House GOP Leader Tony McCombie speak at a panel in 2023. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
With the exception of Bruce Rauner’s flash in the pan around the 2014 and 2016 cycles, it is not a new phenomenon that Republicans in Illinois have struggled to raise money.
As the 2026 general election grows closer, the latest round of campaign finance reports show Illinois Republicans falling further behind their Democratic counterparts.
In the race for Governor, Democrat JB Pritzker reported around $3.1 million cash on hand on June 30, but he is widely expected to dump millions more into his campaign before November. Pritzker spent around $7 million on TV ads in the second quarter of the year.
Republican Darren Bailey reported around $128,000 cash on hand at the end of June. His campaign has touted its small dollar fundraising operation, but his report shows the direct mail prospecting raised around $600,000 at a cost of around $900,000.
“It’s embarrassing,” one longtime Republican operative said of Bailey’s fundraising struggles. “Nobody wants to write this guy a check. And the business community in Chicago is just laughing at him and paying attention to the [Chicago] mayor’s race instead.”
Bailey’s top contribution came from businessman and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine, who gave Bailey $25,000. Rabine now resides in Naples, FL.
Bailey’s cash on hand also trails independent candidate Collin Corbett, a longtime GOP strategist who left the party before launching his campaign in May. Corbett reported around $380,000 cash on hand, which included a $500,000 loan from himself. (Disclosure: Corbett is a personal friend and is treated like any other candidate in the race.)
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is seeking re-election but also expected to jump in the race for Chicago Mayor, potentially by the end of the end of the month, had around $22 million cash on hand. His Republican opponent for Secretary of State, Diane Harris, had around $1,800 on hand.
Republican legislative leaders Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savana) and Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) have improved fundraising levels over their predecessors, but are struggling to keep up with Democrats.
Committees controlled by House Speaker Chris Welch reported around $12.7 million cash on hand, while McCombie’s committees had around $1.6 million cash, a nearly 9:1 advantage for House Democrats.
Senate President Don Harmon’s legislative committees reported around $21.6 million cash on hand, compared to Curran’s $3.2 million, an almost 7:1 advantage for Democrats.
“This is why we can’t break into the supermajorities,” said a Republican insider. “Gerrymandering has set us back a lot, but if we can’t raise enough money to compete in close districts, we’re just never going to stand a chance.”
