Politics
Lobbyists give to Stratton as Illinois Senate campaign raises far more than Tracy
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has received thousands of dollars from people affiliated with lobbying firms while running for the U.S. Senate. Her campaign says she puts Illinois residents ahead of corporate interests; Republican Don Tracy’s campaign has raised a fraction of her total.
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s U.S. Senate campaign has received contributions from lobbyists and employees of firms whose clients include corporations, trade groups and public institutions, according to campaign finance and lobbying records. The donations come as Stratton, a Democrat, faces Republican Don Tracy in the Nov. 3 general election to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin.
Many of the contributions were made by individuals affiliated with Mercury Public Affairs and Cornerstone Government Affairs, firms that lobby in Illinois and Washington. Campaign finance records show Mercury-affiliated donors, including former U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos’ son Nicholas, contributed to Stratton’s campaign and a separate political account supporting her. Nicholas Bustos gave $1,000 to each account in June. Other Mercury figures also donated, including lobbyists Zach Koutsky and William Burns, who gave $2,000 apiece.
Mercury held a Washington fundraiser for Stratton this year. Bustos said the firm is motivated to support “good people running for office.” Mercury’s disclosed clients have included the University of Chicago Medical Center, Airbnb, Bank of America and Flock Safety, whose license-plate-reading cameras have drawn controversy. Those client relationships do not establish that any client directed or made the individual donations.
Cornerstone managing principal Michael Smith gave Stratton’s campaign $3,500 in 2025 and another $2,500 this spring, records show. Other Cornerstone lobbyists also contributed. The firm’s federal clients have included AbbVie, ExxonMobil, the American Gaming Association and United Airlines; its Illinois clients have included the Illinois Health & Hospital Association and the Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Association.
Other donors with lobbying ties include Invariant CEO Heather Podesta, who gave $2,000 in June; Fulcrum Public Affairs’ Oscar Ramirez, who contributed a total of $6,500 in 2025 and 2026; and former Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, whose state lobbying clients include the Chicago Teachers Union and Amazon. The records identify individual contributions, not donations from those firms’ clients.
The contributions stand alongside Stratton’s pledge to refuse corporate political action committee donations. End Citizens United endorsed her last November, praising her stance against corporate PAC money and support for curbing undisclosed political spending. A Stratton spokeswoman said she “will always put the people of Illinois over corporate special interests” and pointed to the tens of thousands of individual donors supporting the campaign.
Tracy has raised substantially less. His campaign account received a $260 contribution this year from John Millner, a lobbyist for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office and several police groups, according to federal records. Stratton has raised more than $5 million since the start of 2025, while Tracy’s campaign account reported less than $400,000.