Biz Group Plots Koch-style Political Spending Blitz
From Crain's Chicago Business
Top Illinois business officials have formed an "independent expenditure" group that intends to spend millions of dollars this fall backing General Assembly candidates who favor pension and budget reform and more charter schools.
Exploiting the latest court-ordered changes in campaign finance law, Together Illinois intends to spend money directly helping its political friends in the Legislature and working against its foes, said Tyrone Fahner, one of the founders of the new group and current head of the Commercial Club of Chicago and its politically active Civic Committee.
The spending cannot legally be coordinated with campaign decisions made by legislative leaders and individual candidates. But such groups have few limits on how much money they can raise or spend and have been extremely effective nationally as well as in Illinois, where such spending helped state Sen. Kirk Dillard almost unseat Bruce Rauner in the March GOP gubernatorial primary.
Paperwork forming the new group was filed late June 13 in Springfield. It lists as its chairman Bert Miller, who received major business backing in a recent bid for Congress in the west suburban 11th District. The treasurer is Ron Gidwitz, a star fundraiser for decades in Illinois who also serves as Mr. Rauner's campaign chairman.
Neither Mr. Gidwitz nor Mr. Miller returned phone calls seeking comment. But among others known to be involved in the new group is Illinois Manufacturers Association chief Greg Baise, another veteran campaign finance activist.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From Crain's Chicago Business
Top Illinois business officials have formed an "independent expenditure" group that intends to spend millions of dollars this fall backing General Assembly candidates who favor pension and budget reform and more charter schools.
Exploiting the latest court-ordered changes in campaign finance law, Together Illinois intends to spend money directly helping its political friends in the Legislature and working against its foes, said Tyrone Fahner, one of the founders of the new group and current head of the Commercial Club of Chicago and its politically active Civic Committee.
The spending cannot legally be coordinated with campaign decisions made by legislative leaders and individual candidates. But such groups have few limits on how much money they can raise or spend and have been extremely effective nationally as well as in Illinois, where such spending helped state Sen. Kirk Dillard almost unseat Bruce Rauner in the March GOP gubernatorial primary.
Paperwork forming the new group was filed late June 13 in Springfield. It lists as its chairman Bert Miller, who received major business backing in a recent bid for Congress in the west suburban 11th District. The treasurer is Ron Gidwitz, a star fundraiser for decades in Illinois who also serves as Mr. Rauner's campaign chairman.
Neither Mr. Gidwitz nor Mr. Miller returned phone calls seeking comment. But among others known to be involved in the new group is Illinois Manufacturers Association chief Greg Baise, another veteran campaign finance activist.
Read more in our daily News Update...