Chicago City Wire

CHICAGO – Sources of campaign cash for mayor Lori Lightfoot and her challengers reflect a rainbow of priorities and loyalties.

Lightfoot depends on cash from trade unions and individuals.

Paul Vallas depends on individuals.

Brandon Johnson depends on teacher unions and Service Employees International.

Chuy Garcia depends on state legislators, small contributions, and Stacey Abrams of Georgia.

Willie Wilson pays for his campaign from his own pocket.

Candidates Sophia King, Ja’Mal Green, Kam Buckner, and Roderick Sawyer run with little financial support.

Lightfoot received $150,000 from the carpenters union in last year’s fourth quarter and $150,000 on Jan. 20.

Plumbers gave her $125,000 in the fourth quarter.

Finishing trades gave her $50,000 in the fourth quarter and $50,000 on Feb. 6.

Food and commercial workers gave her $25,000 on Jan. 26.

Winnetka resident James Frank of 2Fi Investments gave her $150,000 in the fourth quarter and $150,000 on Jan. 23.

Fred Eychaner of Newsweb gave her $50,000 on Feb. 6 and $100,000 on Feb. 8, and Newsweb gave her $25,000 in the fourth quarter.

Wilmette resident Laura Ricketts, co-owner of the Cubs, gave Lightfoot $77,300 in the fourth quarter and $100,000 on Feb. 8.

Jennifer Just of Peak 6 gave her $100,000 on Feb. 7.

Milwaukee resident Chris Abele of CSA Partners, Pin Ni of Wanxiang America, and Lester Crown of H. Crown and Company each gave her $50,000 since last Oct. 1.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange gave her $25,000 in January and $25,000 in February.

Jennifer Steans of Financial Investments gave her $25,000 in January and Heather Steans of Steans Family Foundation gave her $25,000 in February.

Lightfoot’s campaign began the year with $1,430,130.05 in available funds.

Vallas raised $850,000 from Madison Dearborn Partners since Oct. 1.

The firm delivered $350,000 from James Perry, $200,000 each from Paul Finnegan of Evanston and Timothy Sullivan of Wilmette, and $50,000 each from Vahe Dombalagian of Glenview and Thomas Souleles.

Michael Keiser of BDGR gave Vallas $100,000 in the fourth quarter and $100,000 on Jan. 17.

Noel Moore of Endurance Asset Management gave him $50,000 in the fourth quarter and $100,000 on Jan. 20.

Orland Park resident Gerald Bason of Citadel gave him $100,000 in the fourth quarter.

Mary Tolan of Chicago Pacific Founders, John Buck of John Buck Company, Anthony Davis and Brian Miller of Linden Capital, Donald Wilson of DRW Holdings, and a revocable trust of Samuel Zell each gave him $100,000 this year.

Matthew Steinmetz of Kirkland Ellis law firm gave him $5,000 in January $85,000 in February.

Matthew Simon of Ashler Capital gave him $75,000 in January.

James Frank, who gave Lightfoot $300,000, gave Vallas $150,000 on Jan. 24.

His campaign started this year with $1,148,239.92 in available funds.

Vallas didn’t receive a transfer from any campaign committee in the fourth quarter.

At the other extreme, Brandon Johnson received $43 in transfers from campaign committees for each dollar he received from individuals in the fourth quarter.

Chicago teachers union, which employed him as an organizer, gave him $350,000 in the fourth quarter, $200,000 on Jan. 28, and $290,000 on Feb. 7.

American Federation of Teachers gave him $600,000 in the fourth quarter.

Service Employees International gave him $550,000 in the fourth quarter, $100,000 on Feb. 7, and $300,000 on Feb. 9.

It has also paid directly for staff and expenses including $160,000 for a campaign contractor.

Illinois Teacher Federation gave him $150,000 in the fourth quarter and $100,000 on Feb. 8.

His campaign started the year with $1,327,877.91.

Chuy Garcia has received $1 million from Fight Back, an entity with the same LaGrange post office box as Stacey Abrams’s Fair Fight.

Half of that million arrived in the fourth quarter and half arrived on Jan. 20.

Garcia’s Congressional campaign committee gave his mayoral campaign committee $95,000 in the fourth quarter.

State Rep. Edward Gonzalez gave him $80,000, Sen. Celina Villanueva gave him $75,000, and Cook County commissioner Alma Anaya gave him $60,000.

Sen. Cristina Castro gave him $59,500 in the fourth quarter and $20,000 on Feb. 9.

Purple PAC, a bipartisan committee, gave him $92,000 in the fourth quarter and $15,000 on Feb. 9.

Latino Leadership Council gave him $43,000 in the fourth quarter and $35,000 on Feb. 9.

Garcia’s top individual contributor Cardenas Marketing gave him $50,000 in the fourth quarter, $50,000 on Jan. 11, and $25,000 on Feb. 13.

David Pavlik of Decennial Group gave him $50,000 in the fourth quarter.

Dairy company owner Joseph McMahon of Oak Brook gave him $50,000 on Jan. 20.

The operators union directly paid $53,400 for polling.

The Teamsters gave Garcia $25,000 in the fourth quarter and $25,000 on Jan. 20.

Garcia’s campaign started the year with $1,330,659.08.

Wilson has loaned his campaign $7,520,328.58 since 2018.

In the fourth quarter individuals gave him $2,960.

He started the year with $4,104,202.49.

Chicago will hold a primary on Feb. 28.

If no candidate wins a majority the city will hold a runoff election on April 4.