Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) | Photo Courtesy of Don Harmon website
Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) | Photo Courtesy of Don Harmon website
A new report from the nonpartisan research and advocacy group Reform for Illinois reports that state Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) has brought in millions of dollars for his reelection campaign.
Reform for Illinois found Harmon "dominated fundraising" and brought in $5.7 million through his candidate committee which far surpassed the fundraising efforts of other party leaders including House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Westchester), and Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods).
"Across the five committees Harmon controls, that number rises upwards of $7.9 million," the report stated.
Reform for Illinois also reported Harmon, Welch, and McConchie have used the "self-funding loophole" which allows candidates who gift or loan $100,001 to their campaign accounts the ability to take in an unlimited amount of funds.
"All the legislative leaders landed their triggering amounts rather than donating them, and Speaker Welch and Leader McConchie have already repaid themselves in full," the report added.
As of Jan. 21, Harmon hadn't paid himself back, but the report pointed out he has been known to do so since he repaid his loans at least twice before.
"The self-funding shenanigans highlight the now commonplace exploitation of the loophole, also known as the 'millionaire's exemption,'" the report noted. "Originally intended to level the playing field between non-wealthy candidates and deep-pocketed self-funders (for whom spending limits are unconstitutional), the provision is now routinely used to allow huge amounts of money to flow into legislative leaders' accounts and back out to party loyalists and allies."
The organizations found both Harmon and Welch had raised significantly more money for their campaigns than the Republican leaders in both the State House and Senate.
The latest findings from Reform for Illinois came after the fundraising filing deadlines for the last three months of 2021.
There's now just six months until the state's primary election.
Alerts Sign-up