This week, candidates across Illinois submitted their campaign finance reports for the first quarter of 2022. According to the Chicago Tribune, Griffin slate candidates Steve Kim (Attorney General), Shannon Teresi (Comptroller), and John Milhiser (Secretary of State) all had one thing in common — they barely spent any money.
– Kim reported just $37.87 in expenditures
– Teresi reported just $164.02 in expenditures
– Milhiser reported just $467.23 in expenditures
How could it be possible for candidates to run for statewide office for months, especially as part of a $20 million coordinated slate, and spend so little money on their campaigns?
Kim, Teresi, and Milhiser have all put transparency and good government at the center of their campaigns. It’s time for them to be transparent with reporters and voters — and explain exactly what they’re hiding from the public.
When asked by the Tribune, an Irvin campaign employee claimed “to the extent that any cost is presented to the campaigns, it will be paid and disclosed properly.”
What about the costs around preparing, circulating, and filing petitions? Who is running these candidates’ communications programs? Was anyone paid for these campaign websites or social media videos? What about legal and compliance fees? Are these costs being hidden from the public?
Are we supposed to believe these campaigns, which have been active for more than two months, simply haven’t incurred any costs? It’s time for these candidates to come clean about what’s really going on inside their campaigns.
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