Rauner’s Halloween gift to Munger: $1 million

Gov. Bruce Rauner gave a Halloween treat to state Comptroller Leslie Munger, sweetening her campaign coffers to the tune of $1 million.

The governor and his wife, Diana, made the campaign contribution to Munger on Monday, bringing the total Rauner has personally given to Republican funds, including his own, in the past month to $15,010,800.

Munger received an additional $1 million from the governor’s Citizens for Rauner political fund last month. And she took in $5 million from hedge fund manager Ken Griffin and $2 million from packaging magnate Richard Uihlein since late September.

Appointed comptroller by Rauner after the death of Judy Baar Topinka, Munger is locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger Susana Mendoza.

But Munger has not used all of the windfall on her own campaign, instead donating some to other Republican funds.

Last month, Munger’s campaign fund transferred $3 million to the Illinois Republican Party, just days after pulling in $2 million from Uihlein and $3 million from Griffin. She received an additional $2 million from Griffin three weeks later.

The transfers allow the Republicans to distribute the money to GOP candidates around the state, a legal maneuver used by both parties to pass contributions from candidates in big-spending races to candidates with less money in their accounts.