Gurnee state House candidate Joyce Mason, left, has received $737,113 over the years from House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Gurnee state House candidate Joyce Mason, left, has received $737,113 over the years from House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Gurnee state House candidate Joyce Mason received $60,400 in campaign contributions from personal injury lawyers at the direction of House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Among the state's trial law firms, 15 gave $3.4 million to campaigns this year, with $2.6 million of that arriving over the last 60 days and funneled to Madigan-backed candidates, according to records from the Illinois State Board of Elections,
Madigan has been pouring money into various Democrat House races through the campaign funds he controls, including his own committee, Friends of Michael J. Madigan, the Illinois Democratic Party and the Democratic County Chairman’s Association of Illinois.
Alton-based Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the most prolific filers of asbestos claims in the U.S., is the largest single source of contributions from law firms going toward Madigan-backed candidates or committees; and Gori Julian in Edwardsville was the second greatest single source of campaign money among the state’s law firms.
Mason is running against Republican state Rep. Sheri Jesiel in the 61st House District. In all, Madigan has contributed $737,113 to Mason’s campaign this election cycle.
The district covers all or part of Antioch, Lake Villa, Winthrop Harbor, Zion, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek, Wadsworth, Beach Park, Waukegan, Grandwood Park, Gurnee, Gages Lake and Grayslake.
--
Candidate Campaign Contributions from Personal Injury Lawyers
| Candidate | Hometown | Total |
| Monica Bristow | Godfrey | $127,775 |
| Natalie Finnie | Elizabethtown | $105,825 |
| Jerry Costello II | Smithton | $88,800 |
| Katie Stuart | Edwardsville | $72,225 |
| Daniel Didech | Buffalo Grove | $66,600 |
| Karina Villa | West Chicago | $60,400 |
| Maggie Trevor | Rolling Meadows | $60,400 |
| Joyce Mason | Gurnee | $60,400 |
| Mica Freeman | Plainfield | $60,400 |
| Terra Costa Howard | Glen Ellyn | $60,400 |
| Kathleen Carrier | Carol Stream | $49,300 |
| Lisa Dugan | Kankakee | $45,000 |
| Mark Walker | Arlington Heights | $43,000 |
| Diane Pappas | Itasca | $38,500 |
| Lance Yednock | Ottawa | $16,725 |
Campaign Contributions by the Top 15 Trial Lawyer Firms
| Firm | 2018 Totals | Location |
| Cavanagh Law Group | $156,550 | Chicago |
| Clifford Law Offices | $306,600 | Chicago |
| Simmons Hanly Conroy | $491,040 | Alton |
| Cogan & Power | $181,500 | Chicago |
| Cooney & Conway | $169,950 | Chicago |
| Corboy & Demetrio | $361,700 | Chicago |
| Gori, Julian & Associates | $449,574 | Edwardsville |
| Hurley McKenna & Mertz | $156,300 | Chicago |
| Keefe, Keefe & Unsell | $34,275 | Belleville |
| Levin & Perconti | $164,000 | Chicago |
| Meyers & Flowers | $182,500 | Saint Charles |
| Power Rogers & Smith PC | $237,061 | Chicago |
| Romanucci & Blandin | $177,200 | Chicago |
| Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard | $213,875 | Waukegan |
| Wise Morrissey Kaveny | $138,900 | Chicago |
Alerts Sign-up