Raja Keeps Raking in Cash
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Schaumburg) listens to outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin speak at a news conference earlier this year. Krishnamoorthi is the fundraising leader in the race to replace Durbin. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Schaumburg), long a prolific fundraiser who always seemed to be filling his campaign coffers for a future U.S. Senate run continues to raise, and spend, big money in the Democratic primary for Senate.
Krishnamoorthi, one of three top tier Democrats seeking to replace Sen. Dick Durbin next year, raised around $2.9 million in the third quarter of the year, and transferred another $9 million from his House campaign account into his Senate campaign coffers.
He spent around $5 million on TV ads in the quarter, owning the airwaves against his Democratic competitors.
Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Matteson) significantly trailed Krishnamoorthi’s fundraising haul. Stratton raised around $1 million in the quarter. Kelly raised around $300,000.
“It’s early, for sure, but Raja is dominating the name ID game,” said one top Democrat not connected to any of the campaigns. “This race will heat up, but you can already tell by the polling numbers that he’s starting to pull away. So Stratton is going to have to start doing something soon before it becomes a blowout.”
Krishnamoorthi had around $18 million on hand to start the fourth quarter. Kelly has around $2 million in cash on hand. Stratton has around $900,000 on hand.
Republican Don Tracy of Springfield, the former Illinois GOP Chairman and likely GOP nominee for the seat, has already given his campaign $2 million and raised around $50,000 in addition to his own injection.
