Gill Touts Financial Lead Over 15th District Opponent
Gill Touts Financial Lead Over 15th District Opponent
DR. DAVID GILL is putting the best spin on things in his second attempt to win the 15th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana. The Clinton Democrat issued a news release recently stating he had increased his lead over Johnson in contributions from individual donors, according to Federal Election Commission reports released July 15. Those reports covered the period April 1 through June 30.
During the quarter, Gill said he raised $32,500 from individual donors, 88 percent of his total of $37,200. That compares with Johnson getting $15,600 from individuals or 48 percent of his total of $55,200.
"The way I continue to raise money from individuals speaks to the kind of representative I intend to be in Washington," Gill said. "I'll be serving the best interests of the ordinary citizens of the 15th District."
The quarterly report showed Johnson received $39,500 in contributions from political action committees representing trade, professional and labor organizations as well as the telecommunications, nuclear power, financial, tobacco and airline industries, Gill said.
Gill said during the quarter he accepted $1,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and a $3,000 in-kind contribution of election data from the National Committee for an Effective Congress, an organization founded in 1948 by Eleanor Roosevelt to help elect Democratic candidates to Congress.
Since his campaign began, Gill said he has raised $122,600 of which more than 92 percent came from individuals. Gill noted Johnson raised $194,484 in the same period.
Johnson campaign coordinator Brian Kelly said the congressman began 2006 with $80,022 in his campaign fund, a total that was not much diminished after the primary campaign in which Johnson had no opponent. As of April 1, Johnson still had $77,296 in cash on hand, a total that increased to $118,905 as of June 30, Kelly said.
Johnson's campaign still has a $67,000 loan to repay that he made to himself during the previous election cycle, Kelly said. That was part of a total loan debt of $260,000 Johnson had after the 2004 campaign against Gill, the rest of which has been repaid, he said.
"We expect the remainder of that loan to be repaid sometime after the next election," Kelly said.
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