Super PACs connected to various groups have spent tens of millions of dollars in advertisements for Tuesday’s primary elections in Illinois.
Various groups connected to the pro-Israel lobby have spent millions on House races, while cryptocurrency super PACs have spent heavily in the Democratic primary for Senate.
Super PACs, or political groups that spend money to support or oppose federal candidates largely by buying political advertisements, have flooded the Illinois primary elections with cash. Here are a few groups that have spent millions of dollars in Illinois, according to a New York Times analysis of filings with the Federal Election Commission. Several political groups with ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have combined to spend more than $21 million in Illinois races. United Democracy Project, AIPAC’s official super PAC, has spent about $5 million in the state’s Seventh Congressional District, supporting Melissa Conyears-Ervin, the city treasurer of Chicago, and opposing her challengers.
Two other groups, Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now, have ties to groups that work closely with AIPAC. Elect Chicago Women has been especially active in the Eighth and Ninth Congressional Districts. In the Ninth, it has spent nearly $6 million to support Laura Fine, a state senator, and oppose Daniel Biss, the mayor of Evanston. In the Eighth, it has spent an additional $4 million to support former Representative Melissa Bean. Affordable Chicago Now has spent more than $4 million to support the Cook County commissioner, Donna Miller, in the Second Congressional District. Another super PAC, Chicago Progressive Partnership, has not disclosed many details about its backers but shares vendors with groups linked to AIPAC. It has funneled about $2 million into Illinois races. In the Eighth Congressional District, it has opposed Junaid Ahmed, a tech consultant. In the Ninth District, it has supported Bushra Amiwala and opposed Kat Abughazaleh. Ms. Amiwala, a critic of Israel, denounced the advertising support from the group. The cryptocurrency industry’s main political group, Fairshake, has spent more than $13 million in the Illinois primaries.
It used about $10 million of that to oppose Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the main Democratic challenger to Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi in the Senate primary. The rest of the money went toward opposing Robert Peters, a state senator running for the House seat in Illinois’ Second Congressional District, and La Shawn Ford, a state representative running in the Seventh Congressional District. An affiliated crypto group, Protect Progress, has spent more than $400,000 opposing Ms. Stratton and supporting Mr. Krishnamoorthi and Ms. Kelly. It has spent more than $600,000 supporting Melissa Bean in the Eighth Congressional District and Representative Nikki Budzinski in the 13th. Think Big, an affiliate of Leading the Future, which is the A.I. industry’s main political group, has spent more than $2.5 million in Illinois races. It is bolstering two former representatives who are running for their old House seats. About $1.4 million has gone toward advertisements supporting Jesse Jackson Jr. in the Second Congressional District, and the rest has gone to support Melissa Bean in the Eighth District.