By Bill McMorris Illinois Statehouse News
CHICAGO – Illinois may be one of the bluest states in the country, but that has not stopped the state Republican Party from pulling in the green.
Curt Conrad, executive director of the Illinois GOP, said the party has raised more money in the first four months of 2010 than was raised in all of 2009 — when it collected more than $500,000.
"We've put in a little bit more of an aggressive approach to fundraising to support our candidates from the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ticket and we're going to do what we can to make sure we get some wins this election," he said. [1]
Rupert Borgsmiller, assistant executive director of the state Board of Elections, said it's common for political parties to raise more funds during elections years.
"During the election year, people are more into wanting to contribute," he said. "If they (the party) are behind the issues that are motivating the people to vote, then you can generally raise more money." [2]
Conrad said the party is doing just that by standing against Democrats in Springfield, especially Gov. Pat Quinn's proposal to raise the state income tax by 33 percent.
"People want to see some change with the way things have happened here in Illinois — with the single-party rule that we've had with the Illinois Democratic Party," he said. "Democratic elected officials in Illinois have helped us in our fundraising with some of the issues they have been putting out there." [3]
Fundraising is key during an election year, especially for candidates who are not as widely known as the incumbents — the Republicans currently do not hold any statewide offices. Increased funds can mean more campaign stops, radio and television advertising, and other means of generating support.
But Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said party money does not automatically produce Election Day success. Most campaign dollars are raised and spent by individual candidates, rather than state political parties.
"The vast majority of the money that is going to be spent in terms of state elections is going to be raised by the individual candidates," he said. "The parties don't have the kind of control over the process that they might have 20 years ago — this is pretty much candidate centered politics." [4]
Still, Redfield said the increase in money shows the Republican Party has a more energetic and enthusiastic base, which can translate well come November 2.
"The fact that the state Republican Party is raising more money is a sign that there is more unity and that it looks like they've got a shot at making some real inroads, whereas they were pretty much shut out four years ago and two years ago," he said. [5]
The Republican Party has surged in opinion polls across the country after seeing its support wither away following the 2008 elections. But the national party has not been able to transform newfound goodwill into campaign money.
The Republican National Committee closed out 2009 with less than $9 million in the bank — a $21 million decrease from 2005. Even so, the RNC is pledging at least $5 million to the state GOP to unseat Democrats in Washington and Springfield.
And the Republicans will be receiving even more out-of-state support in May when former vice-presidential candidate and fundraising magnet Sarah Palin is set to visit the state.
The Republicans and Democrats are scheduled to release full fundraising reports in June.
