New campaign finance disclosures show Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan outraised U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis last quarter, though the incumbent Republican still has a much larger war chest heading into the thick of campaign season.
Londrigan, a fundraising consultant from Springfield, raised $563,054 in the three months ending June 30, according to Sunday’s filing with the Federal Election Commission. Davis raised $509,012 during that same stretch.
Davis holds the overall fundraising lead—typical for an incumbent. His campaign had $1.6 million in cash on hand on June 30, more than twice what Londrigan had ($658,649).
The average contribution to Londrigan’s campaign was $18.53, Londrigan said. She also spent less than Davis last quarter—$125,612, compared with his $289,659.
“Hardworking families here in central Illinois know that I take health care access, job creation, and education costs personally, and I’m fighting hard to be able to take their concerns to Washington with me,” Londrigan said in a statement. “The outpouring of support that our campaign is receiving continues to build momentum. We have been knocking on hundreds of doors and making thousands of phone calls because we know that support isn’t given—it’s earned.”
Some of the notable and large contributors to Londrigan last quarter were:
- Ann Callis, a former judge who unsuccessfully ran against Davis in 2014
- Robert Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts in Colorado
- JB Pritzker, Democratic candidate for governor, and his family
- Nancy Pelosi for Congress campaign fund
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Notable and large contributors to Davis were:
- Michael Tipsord and Ed Rust, current and past State Farm CEOs
- Normal Town Council member Scott Preston
- LaHood for Congress campaign
- National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund
- National Corn Growers Association
The Davis campaign said Londrigan was getting support from "extreme liberals in Washington."
“These numbers are not surprising when you factor in Nancy Pelosi has held at least two fundraisers that we know of for Betsy—one in Chicago and one in D.C. When you've checked every extreme, liberal box, meaning you're 'on board' with impeaching Trump, you support Medicare for all, believe we should rethink the Second Amendment, and you would vote to repeal tax cuts for middle-class families, it's no wonder Nancy Pelosi and other extreme liberals in Washington are bankrolling her campaign," said Davis spokesperson Ashley Phelps.
Last week the Cook Political Report changed its rating of the 13th Congressional District race, suggesting it’s tightening. The 13th District was moved from “Likely Republican” to just “Lean Republican.” Democrats need to win a net of 23 seats to flip control of the House, and the 13th District is one they're targeting.
Davis, a Republican from Taylorville, has held the seat since 2013. He’s seen as potentially vulnerable in a 13th District drawn by Democrats specifically to give Democrats a shot. The gerrymandered 13th District includes parts or all of 14 counties and several college towns, stretching from the western half of Bloomington-Normal all the way south to Edwardsville.
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