CHICAGO — Over the past year, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7 — the union for rank-and-file police officers in Chicago — has donated tens of thousands of dollars to alderpeople and City Council candidates it favors.
The Chicago Teachers Union and the progressive group United Working Families have done the same. So has Gov. JB Prtizker, trading firm executive Don Wilson and mayoral hopeful Willie Wilson — all billionaires or multimillionaires. DoorDash, the Illinois Restaurant Association, law firms, realtors’ groups, Peoples Gas and Comcast have all sent money to campaigns for City Council.
Alderpeople who represent Downtown or entertainment districts tended to receive the most money. Others were able to dip into their personal bank accounts to pay for their campaigns.
And many of the best-funded alderpeople are running for reelection unopposed.
Those are just a few examples of what you can find with Block Club’s new campaign contribution database.
Block Club collected records from the Illinois State Board of Elections that show fundraising details for all alderpeople and City Council candidates from Jan. 1, 2022, to Feb. 13, 2023.
You can use the database to find out who’s donated to the alderpeople or challengers in your ward — as well as how much they’ve given, who else they’ve given to and how that compares to other wards across the city.
Where candidates get their campaign money often reveals a lot about their connections and priorities: It pays to follow the money.
Check out all the donations:
RELATED: Want to search donations made to mayoral candidates? Click here.