BELLEVILLE – Campaign treasuries of four judicial candidates on the Democratic ticket held more than $200,000 as of April 1, their quarterly statements show.
St. Clair County Associate Judge Christopher Kolker, running for circuit judge, reported $81,815.06 in available funds.
Fifth District appellate court candidate Kevin Hoerner, private counsel for St. Clair County in civil litigation, reported $56,722.35.
Associate Judge Heinz Rudolf, running for circuit judge, reported $36,682.02.
Associate Judge John O’Gara, running for circuit judge, reported $27,301.49.
Hoerner, Rudolf, and O’Gara, who all started the year with tiny treasuries, received a total of $176,537.15 in contributions.
Kolker’s contributions shrank from $88,480 in last year’s fourth quarter to $2,370 in this year’s first quarter.
The candidates mostly set their money aside, spending about $41,000 on signs, mail, advertising and such.
They spent more than that supporting the party’s central committee.
Rudolf and O’Gara each transferred $24,000 to the committee, Kolker transferred $14,000, and Hoerner transferred $5,000, for a total of $67,000.
All four relied heavily on local lawyers.
Tom Keefe’s firm in Swansea gave Hoerner $11,100, and Keefe gave him $5,600.
His firm gave Rudolf and O’Gara $3,000 each, as it did for Kolker last year.
Hoerner’s firm, Becker Hoerner, gave $5,000 each to Rudolf and O’Gara.
Last year his firm gave Kolker $5,240.
The asbestos firm of Gori Julian in Edwardsville, which gave Kolker $6,000 last year, gave Hoerner $2,500 in February.
The firm of Crowder and Scoggins in Columbia, which gave Kolker $1,000 last year, gave O’Gara $2,000 in March.
None of the Republican candidates for circuit judge reported any contributions.
Katherine Ruocco spent $95,692.81, all of it her own.
Former Associate Judge Laninya Cason and O’Fallon attorney Paul Evans hadn’t organized committees as of April 16.