Mayor's Late Fundraising Report Raises Eyebrows

Recently, Mayor Brandon Johnson's campaign finance report revealed over $200, 000 in previously unreported funds. This comes after his spokesperson, Christian Perry, told Politico in early January that the mayor actually raised around $200, 000, despite an earlier report showing only $970 for the last quarter of 2024. The new report, filed on Thursday evening, lists 42 donations totaling $232, 800. All contributions are dated January 16, the day after his previous report stirred confusion with its minimal information. State law requires politicians to report contributions over $1, 000 within five business days of depositing them. While Johnson may have received the checks earlier, he followed the law by reporting the money shortly after depositing it, according to Matt Dietrich, spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Elections. Politicians often hold onto uncashed checks until elections get closer. What matters to regulators is the deposit date, not when the fundraiser took place. “It’s not about when they held the fundraiser; it’s about when they deposited the raised funds into their bank account, ” Dietrich explained. “By our system, this has been done by the rules. ”

Neither Perry nor another Johnson spokesperson, Jake Lewis, immediately responded to questions about the new filing on Friday morning. Lewis had earlier told the Tribune that amendments to Johnson’s previous filing were forthcoming. “Our campaign adheres to all state and local campaign finance rules and regulations, ” Lewis stated. “Recent changes to city campaign finance law require us to properly vet contributions and ensure compliance. As we’ve done throughout the Mayor’s term, we will file the appropriate amendments to reflect contributions to the campaign, a common practice in Illinois. ” The mayor’s most recent fundraising efforts include a $30, 000 contribution from the Illinois Black Business Political Action Committee, $38, 000 from two realtor groups, and $3, 000 from Smokey’s Tobacco Shop, among others. Interestingly, Johnson’s team acknowledged an error in the 2024 fourth-quarter report filed in mid-January. They returned $48, 500 to the Chicago Latino Public Affairs Committee after Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg found that the contribution exceeded the allowable limit for lobbyists giving to mayors. The PAC is led by Homero Tristan, a lobbyist for tech giant Oracle, who contributed $50, 000 to Johnson in June 2023.

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