Democratic incumbent Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines has far outraised and outspent her Republican challenger, Park Ridge City Clerk Sal Raspanti, in the race for Illinois’ 28th Senate District as the calendar ticks closer toward Election Day, Nov. 8.
Campaign finance documents filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections show that Raspanti, a former Park Ridge alderman, ended the quarter with $18,225.17 in his campaign’s war chest. Murphy, a former Des Plaines alderman who is a Deputy Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate, ended the quarter with $552,559.37 on hand.
Raspanti raised $35,658 over the quarter, records show. Of that money, $34,208 came from individual contributions.
Most of Raspanti’s donors gave $1,000 or less to his campaign. The largest donation was out of Raspanti’s own pocket, totaling $5,000.
More Top Picks Best Shun Knives
Beyond his own money, Raspanti’s second-largest individual donor was Nida Trading Corporation, a wholesale nuts company in Elk Grove Village, which donated $1,500.
Park Ridge Alderman Fred Sanchez donated $300 to Raspanti, records show. Sanchez currently represents Park Ridge’s second ward.
Much of the $17,432.83 Raspanti spent over the quarter went toward yard signs and fundraisers. Campaign records show he spent $4,566.82 on yard signs, not including door hangers. He spent another $5,250 on fundraising, with almost all of that money going toward an Aug. 31 event at Beacon Tap.
Murphy, meanwhile, has spent the bulk of her money on mail and postage. She finished the quarter with $552,559.37 on hand and spent $121,644.45 over the reporting period. Of that figure, $183,920.31 has gone to mail, documents show.
Murphy took in $12,200 in individual contributions – $2,500 of which came from Accel Entertainment Gaming LLC, a slots machine company that operates in Illinois and a handful of other states.
Former Niles Village President Andrew Przybylo kicked in $500, and Murphy received $250 from Matthew O’Shea Consulting. O’Shea is Chicago’s 19th Ward Alderman. Parking spot rental company SpotHero also donated $1,000.
But most of Murphy’s fundraising for the quarter, which totaled $191,100, came from $177,000 in transfers from other political organizations. About $120,000 of that money came from two labor-affiliated organizations: Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC and LiUNA Chicago Laborers’ District Council each donated $59,900 to Murphy’s campaign, records show.
Murphy’s mailers have advertised her as a politician fighting for ethics reforms in Springfield who keeps working families top of mind.
Raspanti, who is campaigning on promises to repeal the Pretrial Fairness Act, set to take effect Jan. 1, and lower inflation, said he’d seen seven mailers from Murphy as of the middle of October.
“This race will not be won on the amount of money spent or raised by a candidate,” Raspanti said in a message to Pioneer Press. “Voters are fed up and will vote on if they are better off and if they are ready for a change in representation.”
Early voting opens Oct. 24.