The money driving Harvey's mayoral race
Mayor Chris Clark leads in cash currently on hand. Anthony McCaskill bets on himself. Alderman Marshun Tolbert (2nd) gets a late boost. Here's what you need to know about campaign spending in the 2023 mayoral race.
This report was fact-checked by Olivia Stovicek. Olivia's experience as an editor and fact-checker includes serving as a senior editor at South Side Weekly and as a team leader for City Bureau's Civic Reporting Fellowship in 2021.
We dug through the candidates’ finances on file with the state so you don’t have to.
The Illinois State Board of Elections requires financial disclosures once the contributions a candidate has accepted or the amount they have spent—or the amount accepted or spent on their behalf—reaches $5,000.
Within ten business days of reaching that threshold (or within two business days if it's in the 30 days before an election), persons must file a statement of organization.
Quarterly reports are not required if total contributions and expenditures fall below that threshold. However, candidates are still able to submit disclosures for anything below the $5,000 threshold.
Once a political committee’s information is on file with the ISBE, they’re required to submit quarterly reports—regardless of whether they’ve ever reached the $5,000 threshold or not.
The next deadline to submit a quarterly report is April 15, 2023.
Here’s a deep-dive into the money driving the 2023 mayoral race.
Key takeaways
Clark leads in cash
Mayor Chris Clark has the most cash on hand in his war chest, followed by Anthony McCaskill, according to data from Reform for Illinois’ Sunshine Database, which tracks campaign finance across Illinois. Looking to a second term, Clark’s campaign is funded by a confluence of individual donors, Chicago-area businesses, and Harvey and south suburban dignitaries.
But weeks before the election, the Clark campaign sought the help of a San Francisco-based polling company to assist with public opinion and political strategy efforts, based on state records.
And, notably, interim Harvey Police Chief Cameron Biddings, who Clark personally brought into the department from nearby Dolton, has donated nearly $500 to Clark’s reelection bid. Chicago-based attorney and failed state senator hopeful Bob Fioretti, who was hired to help the city restructure its debt—along with his law firm— donated $1000 to Clark in 2021.
The single largest donation
Alderman Marshun Tolbert (2nd), who has the least in cash on hand and has trailed his competitors in raising funds, recently received a $30,000 jolt from the SEIU Illinois Council PAC. While he trails McCaskill and Clark in funds raised, SEIU’s donation marks the single greatest contribution any candidate has received.
The labor union is known for throwing its hat behind more progressive candidates, recently Brandon Johnson and Jeanette Taylor in Chicago. Tolbert supported SEIU Healthcare’s efforts for a better contract at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in fall of 2021.
Businesses rally around McCaskill
McCaskill’s campaign is deeply supported by small businesses—few, if any, individual donors. However, he’s also betting on himself. Of all the mayoral candidates, McCaskill’s pumped more of his own funding into his campaign.
He’s contributed $20,000 through the Friends of Anthony L McCaskill Inc committee.
Clark has only dropped $11,600 of his own funding into his campaign. Tolbert has only pumped $1,450 since the 2019 general election where he clinched his aldermanic seat, according to the RFISD.
Current campaign dollars
Mayor Chris Clark
Funds available coming into Oct. 1, 2022
$100,296.20
Total raised between Oct. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022
$21,225.00
Total spent period between Oct. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022
$23,343.77
Cash on hand as of Dec. 31, 2022
$98,177.43
Total raised since January 1, 2023
$119,672.44
Total cash on hand (as reflected in required reporting, so far)
$217,849.87
Harvey Public Library Board trustee Anthony McCaskill
Funds available coming into Oct. 1, 2022
$45,381.00
Total raised between Oct. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022
$60,000.00
Total spent between Oct. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022
$30,675.00
Cash on hand as of Dec. 31, 2022
$74,706.00
Total raised since January 1, 2023
$97,175.00
Total cash on hand (as reflected in required reporting, so far)
$171,881.00
Alderman Marshun Tolbert (2nd)
Funds available coming into Oct. 1, 2022
$ 10,770.52
Total raised between Oct. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022
$10,990.00
Total spent between Oct. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2022
$18,256.71
Cash on hand as of Dec. 31, 2022
$3,503.81
Total raised since January 1, 2023
$70,650.00
Total cash on hand (as reflected in required reporting, so far)
$74,153.81
Note: Campaign finance records from Oct. 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022; Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, Reform for Illinois’ Sunshine Database
Support from local & state dignitaries
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch
Since November of 2021, the speaker has donated nearly $57,000 to Clark’s reelection bid. Of that, over $5,000 was used to cover staff salaries and payroll, presumably for campaign workers.
The second largest lump sum that Welch contributed—$16,000—given less than a month before the general election, was to cover costs associated with polling research, conducted by San Francisco-based Tulchin Research. The company assists with public opinion research to assist with “strategy efforts,” according to its website.
Tulchin lists prior clientele on its website, which includes Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, United States Senator Bernie Sanders, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly
Kelly formally endorsed Clark in 2019 and in 2023. However, she has not donated to his 2023 campaign efforts, according to state records. In March of 2019, the Robin for Leadership political committee donated $500 to Clark’s election bid.
Illinois State Senator Napoleon B. Harris III (15th)
At the March 12 Harvey mayoral forum, Harris expressed frustration after only McCaskill showed up to the event, hosted by Harris and the Democrats of Thornton Township.
“There have been many forums for many different races across this state and this country,” Harris said. “I think it’s a disservice when people say they want to be public servants and they don’t show up for events which they said they were going to.”
Harris, who also serves as the Democrats of Thornton Township committeeman, formally endorsed McCaskill. McCaskill’s campaign has not reported any donations from Harris.
However, days after the forum, Friends of Anthony McCaskill donated $5,000 to the Democrats of Thornton Township. McCaskill has donated $5,520 to the DOTT since late August 2022.
Illinois State Representative Will Davis (30th)
Davis, who is Tolbert’s uncle, has not reported donations to his nephew’s mayoral bid or endorsed him. Davis has instead formally endorsed Clark.
Illinois State Representative Thaddeus Jones (29th)
Jones has formally endorsed Clark.
Former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
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Amethyst J. Davis is responsible for spearheading the growth and development of the HWH, including outlining the editorial trajectory and content. She also produces “The Renaissance Letter,” our biweekly email newsletter, edits content, and fact-checks stories prior to publication Amethyst was an administrator at New York University before launching her journalism career. She is also a member of the Sounding Board, the community advisory board for Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.
In 2022, Amethyst was a Casey Fellow with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Black News & Views, where she covered health and COVID-19 for the NABJ’s newly launched digital news service. She is a sought after speaker on community journalism and has given talks at institutions like DePaul University and the University of Kansas. Amethyst is a regular guest on City Cast Chicago.
She was invited by Harvard University to submit a 2023 Nieman Lab prediction, which taps the smartest in media and journalism nationwide to offer thoughts on the future of digital media. Under her leadership, the HWH has become one of the nation's most-watched hyperlocal newsrooms. The HWH has received national coverage in publications like Poynter, Harvard University's Nieman Lab, the National Press Journalism Club Institute, and Editor & Publisher.
Amethyst is a Brooks Middle School ('11) and Thornton Township High School alum (‘15) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (BA'19). She is an alumni of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar program at the University of Chicago.
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