Q3 Report: GOP U.S. Senate Candidate Mark Kirk Raises $1.6 Million in Q3 Fundraising Effort

Team America has the word that the Kirk for Senate campaign raised over $1.6 million in Q3 fundraising.

While Kirk is clearly not going to take his eyes off the primary race, everyone knows that the real battleground will be the general election battle against the eventual Dem nominee; most agree that SEIU-backed candidate State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is still the front-runner, so his number will be very interesting.

Highly doubt that any of Kirk's six other primary opponents came close, but so far, no one else has released any numbers that I know of. Assuming Dem hopeful Alexi comes in with a good result, it will be more clear than ever, I think, that Kirk is the only GOP candidate that has any hope of being able to go toe-to-toe with the Dem nominee.

Also fairly interesting, this weekend, the Elk Grove Township Republicans endorsed Mark Kirk for U.S. Senate (which required a super-majority of at least 60%), which may be significant, since the EG GOP also endorsed conservative downstate Senator Bill Brady for Governor -- and candidate Pat Hughes might well have hoped to walk away with the endorsement from any group that went for a conservative candidate, which constituency is his bread-and-butter as the hopeful 'anti-Kirk' candidate. Illinois Review has more endorsements from Elk Grove, including 10th Congressional District candidate Bob Dold, as mentioned below.

HERE's the Kirk press release:

Kirk Raises More Than $1.6 Million in 3rd Quarter, Nears $3 Million Mark for 2010 Election

Five-term GOP Congressman Sets New Single-Quarter Fundraising Record for Federal Republican Candidates in Illinois

With $2.3 million in the bank, 12,000 volunteers and a growing list of Republican endorsements, Kirk well-positioned for strong victory

Northbrook, Ill. – Five-term GOP Congressman and Navy veteran Mark Kirk, the leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois, today reported his campaign set a new single-quarter fundraising record for federal Republican candidates in Illinois raising more than $1.6 million. That brings the campaign’s total receipts for the election to more than $2.9 million with $2.3 million in the bank.

Kirk launched his bid for Senate July 20th, almost one month into the fundraising quarter. Of the total receipts for the quarter, Kirk raised over $1.5 million after his July 20th announcement. In addition, Kirk’s fundraising pace is accelerating – the campaign raised $190,000 in July, $536,000 in August and more than $900,000 in September. “I am humbled by the overwhelming grassroots support our campaign continues to receive throughout the State of Illinois,” said Kirk, who recently completed a month-long 40-city statewide tour.

“From Rockford to Cairo, from Danville to Rock Island, from Chicago to Metro East, the people of Illinois are looking for a reformer who can reign in spending, lower taxes, create jobs and turn the page on Rod Blagojevich’s culture of corruption. In the days ahead, I will continue to offer common-sense alternatives to Nancy Pelosi’s trillion-dollar government takeover of health care and fight to prevent the government from coming between you and your doctor.”

A large majority of Kirk’s campaign contributions (86%) come from the citizens of Illinois (87% of more than 4,000 contributors). According to state records and the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias raised more than $500,000 from political action committees (PACs) from 2006-2008 and has already raised $18,000 from PACs for his Senate bid.

The Kirk campaign also reported an increase of grassroots support. Kirk for Senate now counts 12,000 volunteers around Illinois who offered to circulate petitions, display yard signs, walk in parades and help spread enthusiasm for Kirk’s candidacy.

Kirk’s list of key Republican endorsements continues to grow, including Gov. Jim Edgar, House Leader Tom Cross, Senate Leader Christine Radogno, U.S. Reps. Biggert, Shimkus & Roskam, Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady, GOP County Chairmen’s Association President Randy Pollard, and a growing number of county, township and local activists. The Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Campaign Chair, John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) joined a large list of U.S. Senators that endorsed and contributed to Congressman Kirk’s campaign. A complete list of Kirk endorsements is attached.

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