With 14 days to go, candidates slam 'dark money,' stump the state, smash fundraising record

Election season is shifting into hyper-drive locally and statewide with Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8 just two weeks away.

The remaining 14 days are the last chance for candidates to sell themselves to voters or sling arrows at their opponents with new revelations and nicknames.

While the governor's race has been contentious even prior to the primary, local races such as Illinois Congressional District 13 and State Senate District 48 have been heating up in recent weeks.

Deering, Davis discuss BGA report

The race for the 13th Congressional District seat will not include current U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, after redistricting but he still weighed in on the match-up between fellow Republican Regan Deering and Democratic opponent Nikki Budzinski Monday.

In a joint statehouse news conference, Deering and Davis spoke out about reporting by the Better Government Association showing Budzinski received "more than $500,000 in consulting and other fees in 10 months," following her departure from a state job as senior advisor to the Pritzker administration.

Related:Budzinski outraising, outspending Deering in Illinois 13th Congressional District race

"While there may not be any official laws broken yet, she always seems to be just outside the door of corruption," Deering said. "Her hypocrisy is alarming."

Deering, a Decatur-based philanthropist and small business owner, also slammed her opponent on further claims of hypocrisy when it comes to accepting campaign funding from dark money sources.

"I think the voters have a clear choice in this race," added Davis. "The last thing the new 13th district needs is more corruption. We need less Nikki Budzinski and more Regan Deering."

As the Budzinski team pointed out last week, however, Deering has also received money from prominent Republican PACs associated with U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik and Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy.

This, the campaign claims, is in contrast to Deering's stance as a "political outsider."

"Regan likes to call herself a political outsider yet comes from a family that raised money for Richard Nixon and other Republicans, and is funding her campaign from some of the biggest national donors in the country," Josh Roesch, campaign manager for Nikki for Congress, said in a statement.

Deering was asked during the press conference whether she would support a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission - a landmark case decided in 2010 which allowed corporations and non-profit organizations to spend unlimited amounts of money as it was a matter of free speech.

She responded by saying those conversations should take place after Election Day. Deering received funding from the Citizens United Political Victory Fund, according to FEC campaign finance data, totaling $1,000.

Racking up the mileage

Gubernatorial candidates Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican challenger Darren Bailey continued to carry their stump messages across the state.

The Bailey team recently concluded its four-day, 16-stop "Get Out the Vote" bus trail on Sunday. Starting in Springfield, the tour made its way south towards Metro East before curving northeast towards the collar counties.

On Monday, Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton joined the American Federation of Teachers with stops in Peoria and Urbana. It comes a day after the two were in Countryside in Cook County for an event with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

While Pritzker maintains the lead in the money race, Bailey secured a $2 million donation from GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein last week. This was the largest contribution received by Bailey so far but comes after the governor donated $20 million of his personal wealth into the campaign last month.

Spending barrier crashed in the 48th

The total money in the Illinois Senate District 48 race featuring Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, and state Rep. Sandy Hamilton, R-Springfield has topped $5 million.

The amount reported Monday far exceeds 2018 totals, where former Sen. Andy Manar went on to defeat Republican challenger Seth McMillan by 13 points.

Turner received major contributions from the Illinois Senate Democrat Fund in her latest July-September quarterly report. ISDF has continued its contributions to the former Springfield alderwoman so far in October, including a total exceeding $175,000 in two transfers Wednesday.

Hamilton has yet to obtain any funding from her major backer the Senate Republican Victory Fund, but has picked up more than $30,000 in funding from the Illinois Republican Party. Friends of Steve McClure also transferred $10,000 into her campaign on Friday.

Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Candidates making mad dash to Election Day