Mayor Rahm Emanuel dropped another $600,000 into his ballooning campaign warchest on Friday as his crowded field of challengers continue their frenzied fundraising in hopes of standing out from the pack when quarterly reports are due.
The mayor’s latest money drop leaves his campaign fund with roughly $8 million. But it did not include nearly as many heavy-hitters as previous reports.
There were only two six-figure contributions: $150,000 from Morningstar’s Joe Mansueto and $100,000 from the Chicago Regional Carpenters PAC.
Other heavy hitters included: $50,000 from Jeff Blau and Stephen Ross of Related Cos. and $25,000 a piece from: the Illinois Hotel-Motel PAC; Unite Here PAC; Finishing Trades of Chicago PAC; and Clarion Capital Partners managing partner Marc Utay.
The mayor also reported $10,000 contributions from: the Illinois Film Political Committee; BlitzLake; Bond Capital, Superior Ambulance; Fairmont Construction’s Martin Curran; John DiGregorio of Interior Creations; GoHealth; Gold Coast Tickets; Interior Realty; Skender Construction and Joel Johnson, managing director of Glover Park Group.
Morningstar has had a contract with the Chicago Public Library.
The six-figure contribution from the Chicago Regional Carpenters PAC continues the heavy support from trade unions expected after Emanuel hammered out a recent contract with the building trades that guaranteed labor peace, reduced health care costs and preserved the prevailing wage paid to their counterparts in private industry.
The carpenters union is part of the investment group that purchased the Chicago Sun-Times.
Unite Here lobbied hard for City Council approval of a groundbreaking ordinance aimed at shielding Chicago hotel workers from sexual harassment.
More recently, hotel owners who support the the Illinois Hotel-Motel PAC persuaded aldermen to narrow the focus of that Pants On-Hands-Off ordinance.
Emanuel still has a way to go to match the $24.4 million he raised and spent to survive Chicago’s first mayoral run-off against Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in 2015. But he’s getting there week-by-week.
He’s also running circles around his competitors, who are scrambling to raise money before June 30, when quarterly fundraising draws to a close.
Whoever can file the fattest quarterly report will quickly emerge from the crowded field of nine challengers as the most serious contenders.
Mayoral challenger Lori Lightfoot made a splash last month — and planted her flag as a lead competitor — by raising $243,000 for her campaign right out of the gate.
But, she has only reported $58,500 in contributions in June.
Fired Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy has reported $71,500 in contributions in June, the largest just $5,000.
Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas has reported taking in $73,000 in June contributions, with $10,000 being the largest.
Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown has raised just $12,000 in June, including a $10,000 donation.
Millionaire businessman Willie Wilson made three more contributions to himself in June. Two of them were for $50,000. The third was $40,000.
Fundraising limits for all mayoral candidates were lifted by Wilson’s $100,000 contribution to himself in April.
That freed Emanuel to tap a deep reservoir of high rollers that has long been the envy of Democrats nationwide.
County Commissioner Bridget Gainer is still considering becoming the tenth mayoral challenger. She already has nearly $1 million her campaign warchest.
But Friday’s fundraising drop was yet another suggestion that nobody will have more money to spend than the embattled incumbent.
