Kwame Raoul gets late support amid concerns of attorney general race tightening — including $1M check from House Speaker Michael Madigan
Raoul reported receiving a
At the same time, Harold, an
The attorney general's campaign has evolved into the most contested statewide race outside the highly visible contest for governor between incumbent Republican
Raoul and Harold are vying for the seat being given up after four terms by Democratic Attorney General
One prominent Democrat said a recent tracking poll of the race showed it to be close with a large number of undecided
Overall, Raoul has outraised Harold, reeling in more than
In addition to the
Raoul has outraised Harold by more than 14-to-1 over the campaign's final days.
From
Over that same home stretch of the campaign, Harold reported taking in
On Saturday, campaigning with other
"I think it shows how much that Pritzker and Madigan do not want me to be attorney general and to be a check on them in
In
"It takes resources to communicate," Raoul said of the Madigan money.
Other late assistance for Raoul has included stumping from other fellow
Earlier this week,
"Look, I've been extremely vocal about the need to elect more women to office," state Comptroller
Raoul allies acknowledged privately that the contest would likely be among the closest of statewide races on the ballot, though they dismissed concerns that their candidate could be in danger. Internal polling, though, has shown that Raoul has consistently trailed behind the larger leads held by other
Raoul said Friday that while Obama endorsed his candidacy in August, he wished he had the radio advertisement sooner.
"That was the decision of the former president," Raoul said. "He's made a decision to come home, and he's made a decision to record an ad in support of my candidacy, and I appreciate it. I would have loved it in the primary, but I have it now and I embrace it."
In an effort to appeal to a larger group of voters, Raoul also has sought to shift the closing campaign debate to the issue of health care and off the subject of Harold's personal opposition to abortion rights. Harold, as a congressional candidate in 2014, told the
"It's important that we are not bamboozled by the rhetoric," Raoul said.
During a forum earlier this week on WTTW-Ch. 11, Harold said she would not join other attorneys general on either side of the issue over federal litigation backed by
"This is the sort of way you politicize the office," Harold said, calling it "fundamentally a federal congressional issue."
Twitter @BillRuthhart
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