Video
©
2002 Friends of Dick Durbin. All Rights Reserved.
Web site designed by Campaign
Advisory Corporation
| Durbin
amasses $4 million for re-election campaign SPRINGFIELD - While three Republicans crowd for the right to face him in November, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, has quietly stockpiled nearly $4 million in campaign funds. His campaign manager said Wednesday that's a fraction of what Durbin's campaign is prepared to spend on a re-election bid if necessary. According to campaign documents, Durbin's account, Friends of Dick Durbin, ended 2001 with $3.75 million on hand. Durbin raised slightly more than $1 million between July 1 and Dec. 31. Candidates for federal office must file the documents with the Federal Election Commission by today. Republican State Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Westchester, Chicago accountant John Cox and Aurora businessman Jim Oberweis are seeking the Republican nomination in the March 19 primary. During the six months covered by the filing deadline, Durbin's campaign received more than $200,000 from political committees and nearly $600,000 in individual contributions. Some $100,000 came in contributions of $200 or less. Individuals can donate no more than $1,000 to a single candidate during a two-year election cycle, and political action committees, or PACs, can give no more than $5,000. The Oberweis campaign will report nearly $1.1 million in funds raised since Oberweis declared his candidacy in November. He ended the year with $1.032 million in the bank. "If we've done more in six weeks than (Durbin) has in six months, it's a good day," said Oberweis spokesman Don Walter. He noted, however, that $1 million of their receipts came from an individual contribution by Oberweis himself. Oberweis will seek to raise money from PACs at several fund-raisers in the coming weeks, Walter said, although the campaign has collected no such contributions yet. Cox also gave his campaign $1 million of his own money, but said it has not yet been spent. His campaign will only report about $10,000 in the bank as of Dec. 31 in order to bring Cox's donation in line with FEC procedural rules for the next disclosure deadline. Before Dec. 31, Cox said, his campaign expenses drew on the more than $200,000 he has raised from individuals, largely from direct mail. Durkin has raised $42,500 during the filing period and has more than $36,000 on hand.
|
Publication: Aurora
Beacon News |