State Dem Party’s record fundraising haul included $2.5M donation from Illinois Gov. Pritzker

The state Dem Party’s record fundraising over the last three months was fueled by large donations, including a nearly $2.5 million contribution from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, according to a WisPolitics.com review.

The party announced earlier this week that it had raised $10 million during the second quarter between its state and federal accounts. Its latest filing with the state shows more than $7.5 million raised between March 24 and June 30. Meanwhile, its latest monthly report isn’t due to the FEC until next week.

By comparison, the state GOP raised $728,457 over the same period.

Both parties also filed reports detailing fundraising activity over the past six months for their state funds, which are allowed to accept corporate contributions up to $12,000. The Dems reported $238,421 raised, while the Republicans pulled in $128,144.

State law places no contribution limits on state parties for their main accounts, and Dems continued to rake in large donations. For the first six months of the year, the party pulled in nearly $11.3 million.

Along with Pritzker’s late June donation, the party listed 10 donors who made six-figure contributions during the second quarter. Among donations were $500,000 each from Linked-in founder Reid Hoffman and Karla Jurvetson, a California psychiatrist and Dem megadonor.

Other large donations included: $370,000 from Stacey Herzing, a California photographer; $300,000 each from Elise Lawson, a Madison surgeon, and Sage Weil, a programmer and businessman in Madison; $250,000 from philanthropist and financier Donald Sussman, of Maine; and $190,000 from philanthropist Lynde Uihlein, of Milwaukee.

Altogether, donors giving at least $100,000 accounted for $5.2 million of what the party raised over the three-month period.

Over that same period, the Republican Party listed a single six-figure donation of $100,000 from Kwik Trip CEO Donald Zietlow.

See the Dem report:
https://cfis.wi.gov/ReportsOutputFiles/0300054JulyContinuing2020afc43715202075323PMGAB2Report.pdf

See the GOP report:
https://cfis.wi.gov/ReportsOutputFiles/0300173JulyContinuing2020106fa715202062300PMCF-2Report.pdf