March 02--Mayor Rahm Emanuel's well-oiled fundraising operation will get to collect donations money without the constrictions of state limits in his race against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, thanks to $110,000 an Emanuel-aligned political action committee spent on the mayor's campaign.
The super PAC Chicago Forward made the independent expenditure to Emanuel's campaign fund for "political communications." It reported the $110,000 to the Illinois Board of Elections on Friday, three days after the mayor was forced into an April 7 runoff against Garcia, according to election board records.
Under state law, once a candidate in a local race receives a contribution to his campaign of at least $100,000 within a year of the election, all contribution limits for all candidates in the race are lifted.
This is the second time in this campaign that Emanuel will be able to press one of his advantages: His ability to raise massive amounts of money from well-heeled supporters locally and around the country, without worrying about campaign finance limits.
In the first round of the mayoral race, a little-known candidate announced he was putting $100,000 of his own money into his political fund in October, lifting the state limits for that campaign.
Because that candidate did not make it to the head-to-head runoff, the caps went back into effect until Chicago Forward reported its $110,000 spending for Emanuel's campaign, according to Jim Tenuto, assistant executive director of the State Board of Elections.
The contribution limits that have now been removed would have restricted the amount candidates could receive to $5,300 from individuals, $10,500 from corporations or labor groups and $52,600 from political action committees.
Emanuel amassed a campaign fund of more than $16 million before the Feb. 24 election, enjoying a massive fundraising advantage over his four competitors. But with the race down to two candidates, Garcia can now expect to get substantial financial support from labor unions and progressive groups that want to see the mayor defeated.
The Garcia campaign declined Monday to comment on the spending caps being lifted. The Emanuel campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.
