Pritzker breaks advertising campaign funding record and drives Illinois with $ 80 million in advertising: NPR

In an advertisement of J.B. Pritzker's governor campaign, the candidate denies hating puppies.

J.B. Pritzker for Governor

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J.B. Pritzker for Governor

In an advertisement of J.B. Pritzker's governor campaign, the candidate denies hating puppies.

J.B. Pritzker for Governor

There is a new record in campaign financing.

Democratic billionaire J. B. Pritzker has given his own campaign to the governor of Illinois more than any other self-financed candidate in US history. Heir to the Hyatt franchise, Pritzker donated $ 161.5 million to his campaign. This is not adjusted for inflation, but it is getting closer to that too. The previous self-financing record of a campaign had been established by Meg Whitman in his failed bid of 2010 to the California governor, who had given him $ 144 million of his own money.

The campaign's financial records show that Mr. Pritzker has spent about $ 80 million in television and digital advertising up to now, ranging from the appointment of Republican Governor Bruce Rauner as the fallen governor to the declaration of his love. puppies.

While Pritzker has enjoyed the luxury of a double-digit lead over Rauner in recent polls, his ads show no sign of slowing down – despite the fatigue of viewers who are starting to see them and to make these feelings known on social networks . Here are some examples:

@ Riffs33 – "The average human being is exposed to more than 4,000 advertisements a day and JB Pritzker appears in each of them"

@ 182 mph – "I had to buy Spotify Premium not to hear the announcements of JB Pritzker every two songs"

@ IvanJukic333 – "When I earn millions, I'll find a way to stop all these JB Pritzker commercials"

In addition to advertising, the Pritzker campaign also spent millions of dollars on a relatively large staff and a number of field offices in Illinois.

And he helped finance the campaigns of his fellow Democrats, contributing millions to the Democratic Governors Association, the candidate of Attorney General of Illinois Kwame Raoul, to state legislators and to the aldermen of Chicago .

"You are mistaken, it is that I have been involved in democratic politics for decades and that I support the candidates," Pritzker said to the question of whether he would buy support from the Democrats. he won the elections next month.

But Rauner, who also spent millions of dollars of his fortune on his re-election campaign, called the Pritzker campaign a hobby for someone who inherited his fortune.

"He's trying to buy a political post, he's trying to buy a governorship for the first time in his life because he's not a baby of the trust he's would be nothing, "said Rauner during a recent debate.

Rauner has amassed his fortune in private equity, helping to found GTCR. He began his re-election campaign with $ 70 million – $ 50 million from his own wallet plus $ 20 million from one of Illinois's few wealthier richer than Pritzker, Ken Griffin.

Although Pritzker has surpassed Rauner's spending by almost 2 to 1 over the previous three months.

In comparison, President Trump won the 2016 election by spending $ 66 million of his own funds. The recently released remake of "A Star Is Born" had a budget of $ 36 million.

"It's just overwhelming where you see these numbers and I feel that it suggests to people that their democracy is no longer really for them," said Jay Young, who heads Common Cause Illinois – a monitoring group non-governmental government – Pritzker-Rauner fight money.

Young says that Illinois seems to set up a perpetual cycle in the upcoming elections: it will take another wealthy candidate to deal with already rich candidates.

"I hope that billionaires will no longer be the only area we will see in the future, but unfortunately, that is the trend we have followed."