Hoping to sway voters in tight statewide races, political groups pump cash into Illinois
An unprecedented influx of political cash — most of it from outside Illinois — is feeding an inescapable wave of television attack ads aimed at manipulating voters in the final weeks of high-stakes campaigns for U.S. Senate and governor.
The money makes up the bulk of more than $45 million spent since September on political advertising in Chicago’s television market alone — enough to buy all the local commercial time in a typical month, according to advertising data reviewed by the Tribune.