Teachers unions across the country have been actively donating substantial amounts of money to support specific Republican candidates in state legislative primary campaigns. This trend is evident in the race for the 102nd Illinois House seat between incumbent state Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, and his primary challenger, Jim Acklin.
Acklin has received a total of $35,000 from the Illinois Federation of Teachers and $68,500 from the Illinois PAC for Education. Currently, his campaign holds $116,000 in cash, as reported by the campaign fund tracker Illinois Sunshine.
Niemerg’s political fund currently holds a cash balance of $121,840.
In the 2021-2022 election cycle, teachers unions’ political action committees have contributed over $4 million to Democrats, while Republicans received a mere $24,000 nationwide, as revealed by data from Open Secrets. Sarah Bryner, the director of research and strategy at Open Secrets, highlighted the rarity of significant funding being directed towards Republican primary races.
According to Bryner, unions generally support individuals who they believe understand and advocate for their causes. In elections where the general public is involved, unions tend to focus their involvement on Democratic primaries, as they are often considered the frontrunners in the general election. In such cases, unions typically offer their support to Democratic candidates.
Acklin, the superintendent of Chrisman Schools, was a candidate in the 2016 election against Blaine Wilhour, who now represents the 110th Illinois House District as a Republican. In the recent Republican primary, Matthew Hall, who challenged Wilhour, also received financial support from the Illinois Federation of Teachers ($35,000) and IPACE ($65,861).
Wihour’s campaign fund currently holds $147,384 in cash, while Hall’s fund boasts a slightly higher amount at $210,461.
Attempts to reach Acklin and Hall for comment by The Center Square were unsuccessful as they did not respond.
In the 102nd House District, there is no candidate listed on the ballot. However, both Niemerg and Acklin are running as write-in candidates. It is worth noting that there is currently no Democrat challenger in this district.
According to Niemerg, even if the Democrats were to nominate someone else, it wouldn’t make a difference. He believes that there is already a Democrat running against him in the primary.
Reform for Illinois, a non-profit organization that advocates for a more ethical Illinois government, has observed a noticeable lack of competition in the 2024 primary. According to Alisa Kaplan, the Executive Director, the growing polarization among candidates could be one of the reasons behind this trend.
Kaplan noted that individuals and political parties have become steadfast in their positions, leaving little space for diverse ideas and perspectives on various issues.
According to Kaplan, her organization, which runs Illinois Sunshine, has observed that funds from the Chicago Teachers Union are being used to support kindergarten teacher Graciela Guzman in the Illinois 20th Senate District race. The campaign, known as “Gente for Graciela Guzman,” currently holds $583,155. Furthermore, Guzman has recently garnered the endorsement of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont.
“They have provided financial support for Guzman, although not to the extent of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign. Their challenge lies in the formidable Senate President Don Harmon, who has invested over $1.5 million in incumbent state Sen. Natalie Toro’s campaign.”
Toro, a Democrat from Chicago, has a campaign fund of $2 million, with $1.7 million coming from the Illinois Senate Democrats Fund.
According to Kaplan, the reason for the lack of competition may be attributed to the challenges of running for office. She highlighted the significant financial resources required to run a campaign, particularly in Illinois. Kaplan also pointed out that the Democratic party often has substantial funds available to support their preferred candidates.
This primary election features only two contested Democrat state senate seats.
