Last week the Kane County Democrats hosted a forum of IL-14 Democratic Congressional candidates Jotham Stein, John Laesch and Bill Foster before an audience of precinct committeemen at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva. It was not open to the public. I do not know who made the decision to restrict the audience nor why it did not occur to them to find private space for the private meeting instead of a public building, which is a no-no. Reportedly the Foster campaign requested no videotaping but FriendsofJohnLaesch, apparently believing that Laesch “won,” has uploaded audio of the forum in topic-sized pieces onto YouTube. The irony is that Laesch made the goofiest statement of the evening while addressing immigration issues, saying, “I disagree that we are a nation of laws; I believe we are a nation of hope.” Guess he got a bit carried away. Overall I think they all did all right–certainly one could get a feel for their positions–and am eager to attend the debate at NIU next week.

Disclosures: I like Bill Foster so much as a candidate for Congress that I voluntarily spent hours gathering ballot petition signatures for him. Because of people like me who are very enthused about his campaign, Foster turned in about 1900 signatures to get himself on the primary ballot, a good 1,000 more than was needed. I will be sending him money the next good payday and have not ruled out another stint at pounding the pavement. Meanwhile I will continue to post about him and other IL-14 candidates with as objective a viewpoint as I can muster while liking him best.

So now it’s about time for the other IL-14 candidates to start grumbling about the millionaires in their midst, Jim Oberweis and Bill Foster, and the “buying” of a Congressional seat. After a thorough read of the latest Federal Election Commission financial filings, it is evident to me that the charge has to be based on more than just one’s bank statement.

Consider these fundraising numbers for the 3rd quarter:

Unitemized contributions are small contributions that don’t meet the threshold for separate reporting ($200 or less per individual or group per calendar year). They are considered a measure of popular support. Large numbers of so-called “small donors” can be an advantage because the candidate can go back to them again and again up to a limit of $2300 per candidate, per election. As you can see, Foster is that guy; his campaign claims more than 650 total donors at an average of $315 per donation, including 204 donors who each gave $14. In contrast, campaigns with a few “large donors,” such as Lauzen’s, have already reached some donor limits.

Also this is probably a year when the “Millionaires’ Amendment” kicks in. As soon as a House candidate spends $350,000 of his own money, mechanisms for leveling the playing field, such as raised contribution limits, can kick in for eligible opponents and would apply in the primary and in the general.

Disclosure: I’m knocking on doors for Bill Foster.

Three of the IL-14 GOP Congressional contenders have filed 3rd quarter financial disclosures . Each candidate has a principal committee but in the case of Kevin Burns, the disclosures are listed under the candidate’s name. Total individual contributions through 9/30 for each:

$68,259.53 Kevin Burns/Kevin Burns for Congress. What you see is what you get: no PAC money or loans.

$215,975.00 Lauzen for Congress. Plus Lauzen picked up over $5,000 in political committee money and he loaned himself $324,750. Total receipts $545,775.

$94,150.00 Oberweis for Congress. Add Oberweis’ personal contribution of $27,000 and a loan of $300,000. Total receipts $422, 071.

No surprises here. As a longtime state senator and the current darling of far-right-wingers with deep pockets, Lauzen has and will continue to have plenty of cash on hand. Then there’s Oberweis, who has no problem providing infusions of his own milk money into his campaign. Read the rest of this entry

Three of the five IL-14 Democratic contenders’ main political committees have filed their 3rd quarter financial disclosures. Total contributions made to these committees:

$45,059.38 Friends of John Laesch.

$61,598.74 Vote Jotham Stein for Congress Inc.

$208,935.27 Bill Foster for Congress Committee. In addition, Foster loaned himself $200,000 last quarter. The other two do not have loans listed.

What’s surprising is that newcomer Stein outraised Laesch, the candidate who ran against Hastert in 2004. Laesch for some reason has been unable to build much name recognition and continues to underperform at fundraising. Read the rest of this entry