Gov. JB Pritzker has given $5 million to a super PAC supporting his longtime running mate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, in her bid for the U.S. Senate, answering critics who questioned whether he would help boost her candidacy financially.
The self-funding billionaire governor is the top contributor to the Illinois Future PAC, which Stratton’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, has tried to label a “dark-money” group. A required Federal Election Commission report filed Saturday shows the PAC’s contributions, which are not “dark.”
The political action committee reported raising $6.3 million through the end of 2025. A spokesperson said the PAC’s fundraising has now exceeded $10 million. It spent $2.2 million, leaving it with $4.03 million in December.
Jennifer Pritzker, the governor’s cousin, gave the PAC $1,050,000, with her wife contributing $50,000.
The haul is much needed for Stratton to get her message out in TV ads, especially since her campaign took in about $1.1 million and spent $912,000 between October and December, records show. Stratton had $1.12 million cash on hand.
Krishnamoorthi, Stratton and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly are now all airing ads in the race to win the open seat now held by Sen. Dick Durbin, who is retiring after five terms.
The Democratic governor endorsed Stratton a day after she announced her bid for Durbin’s seat, and many questioned whether he would support her financially. The multimillion-dollar bump will help her campaign, but it comes about six months after Krishnamoorthi, the fundraising leader in the race, began airing TV commercials. The use of the super PAC to fund ads typically costs at least twice what it would have cost if it came directly from a direct campaign fund.
Krishnamoorthi has blanketed the airwaves and digital sites with ads about his upbringing and his policy plans. The ads and his vast campaign fund have helped him take the lead in the race, according to multiple polls. The congressman’s latest financial disclosure — which covers October to December — showed he had $15.2 million cash on hand at the end of the year.
He spent $6.4 million between October and December, amounting to $13.2 million spent on his campaign through December.
Kelly had nearly $1.6 million in her campaign fund at the end of December. She had taken in $2.9 million and spent $1.3 million.
Krishnamoorthi has blanketed the airwaves and digital sites with ads about his upbringing and his policy plans. The ads and his vast campaign fund have helped him take the lead in the race, according to multiple polls. The congressman’s latest financial disclosure — which covers October to December — showed he had $15.2 million cash on hand at the end of the year.
He spent $6.4 million between October and December, amounting to $13.2 million spent on his campaign through December.
Kelly had nearly $1.6 million in her campaign fund at the end of December. She had taken in $2.9 million and spent $1.3 million.