Cash Dash in IL-59; Voting Records Troublesome for a Few IL-10 Dems

Someone yesterday suggested to me that incumbent State Rep. Carol Sente may be facing a bit of a funding problem come this November when she faces fellow State Rep. Sid Mathias in a race that pits two current legislators against each other. (Two legislators enter, one legislator... well, you know how that works). The issue is whether, in a race that looks like it will probably be very close, will Michael Madigan spend what he needs to in order to ensure a win for Sente in the face of some pretty stiff competition?

Last Friday night, Mathias held a well-attended fundraiser that was planned to raise some big bucks. Looking at the A-1's that have already been filed, it seems like it was a success, and obviously we will have to wait to see the final reports next quarter, but TA understands from the Mathias team that they did well. According to Mathias' end of year report, he had almost $40K in the bank. Sente, on the other hand, had only about $14K available at the end of the same period, and no recent A-1's filed.

Of course, the real issue is whether Madigan will come in full force for Sente -- if he does, Sente will have as much money as she needs. Still, even if Madigan does not come to Sente's rescue with cash or goons to work the district, Sente still has friends, notably some of the local unions.

Sente famously vowed to be an independent voice in Springfield and break up the 'old boys' club' (how's that working out, Carol?). We'll have to see if Madigan is willing to invest heavily on such a self-proclaimed 'independent,' and perhaps more importantly, if Sente is willing to accept the help, if offered.

Meanwhile, over in IL-10, Russell Lissau at the Daily Herald continues to mine the records and reports of the Dem candidates, and talks today about the voting records of the some candidates, such as John Tree and Brad Schneider. Tree doesn't have much of a voting record, especially in primaries, but attributes that to his military service, for which he claims this kind of voting record is not uncommon. Fair enough. Tree probably doesn't have much of a chance anyway, based on polling and his fundraising thus far.

Brad Schneider, on the other hand, seems to be a lot closer to front-runner Ilya Sheyman, with Schneider's poll numbers and fundraising much more in Sheyman's ballpark. Schneider may be confronting many more serious issues with his voting record than Tree, however, as the DH article reveals that he once pulled a Republican primary ballot and voted in that election, and perhaps more seriously, previously contributed to Republican and then-Congressman Mark Kirk's campaign. Based on the report over at Ellen of the Tenth, there are a lot of anti-Kirk Dems for whom that's pretty much the kiss of death.

So, again, it seems like the also-rans are paving the way pretty nicely for a Sheyman victory. If only that comes to pass!....

ADDING.... Let's cut out the name calling in comments. Calling Sheyman a 'commie' was sort of funny, a little, the first time. The 30th time, not so much. Let's move on and spare the ad hominem labeling, and we'll all be much happier. I have my delete key finger warming up, so be warned... (as everyone knows, gratiuitous name calling is allowed here only when I do it, because it's always funny, unless I think your comment is funny.)