SPRINGFIELD – Democrat State Rep. Katie Stuart of Edwardsville runs with money from Chicago and Springfield and strategy from California and Washington.
The party’s Democrats for Illinois House committee paid Left Hook of Santa Monica $285,325 to produce Stuart’s digital media from July 1 to Oct. 22.
Democrats for Illinois House paid San Francisco researcher Ben Tulchin $20,000 on Stuart’s behalf and her campaign committee paid him $32,050.
Democrats for Illinois House paid Washington telephone banker Winning Connections $52,299.
The state party paid Resonance Campaigns of Washington $248,811 for mailers.
Stuart paid $34,050 from her own committee for media services of Devine Mulvey in Washington.
The coastal vendors she paid post partisan credentials on their websites.
Left Hook shares credit with George Soros for helping Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon win in 2020.
His bail reform resulted in recall campaigns last year and this year without success.
Tulchin’s client list includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Mayor Eric Adams, Illinois House Democrat caucus, and Howard Dean.
Winning Connections lists American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, and bail reformers among its clients.
It claims success in “fighting anti-vaxxers in Colorado.”
Resonance Campaigns has worked for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International, American Civil Liberties Union, and the party’s Senate majority campaign.
Tad Devine of Devine Mulvey identifies himself as chief campaign strategist for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in 2016.
He worked for Carter in 1980, Mondale in 1984, Dukakis in 1988, Gore in 2000, and Kerry in 2004.
Democrats for Illinois House not only covered Stuart’s campaign costs directly but also has transferred $545,000 to her campaign committee.
Committees of organized labor transferred $361,350 to Stuart, with $99,900 coming from laborers.
The state education association transferred $50,000 and the teacher federation transferred $24,900.
Stuart has spent $590,450 on television messages.
Her TV vendor, Buying Time of Washington, doesn’t indicate party preference.
Since July 1, Stuart's campaign has raked in close to $1.6 million.
From July 1 to Sept. 30, less than 5% of her financial support came from Madison and St. Clair counties.
The teacher federation in Fairview Heights gave her $15,000 and she received $10,000 each from laborers in Swansea and operating engineers in Granite City.
John Simmons’s firm in Alton gave her $5,000 and the firm of William Berry and Associates in Collinsville gave her $250.
Breakthrough Beverage of Belleville contributed $1,500.
Stuart received four contributions from local individuals for a total of $900.
Robert Gregory and Patty Gregory of Belleville gave her $250 and so did Nancy Berry of Collinsville.
Bennett Dickmann and Michael Meehan, both of Edwardsville, each gave her $200.
Two percent of Stuart’s spending occurred in Madison and St. Clair counties.
Democrats for Illinois House paid Andrew Meng of Edwardsville $10,409 in wages.
Stuart’s committee paid wages of $1,605 to Claire Hamilton of Mascoutah.
In Glen Carbon it paid $1,251 to Ashley Walden and $1,009 to Matthew Swanson.
In Edwardsville it paid $1,354 to Alden Truckenbrod, $1,279 to Maxwell Hartman, and $889 to Ryan Jenkins.
Across the river it paid $7,448 to Lance Allen of St. Louis.
The committee reported spending $3,250 on giveaways at MOW Printing in Collinsville and $3,113 on shirts at Kelly Tracy Apparel in Marine.
It spent $250 on wine and whiskey at Watershed Nature Center in Edwardsville.
Stuart started the fourth quarter with $236,770 in available funds.
Voters will choose between her and Republican Jennifer Korte.