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In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decisions undermining campaign finance rules, most notably Citizens United v FEC, our elections have become increasingly dominated by large donors at the expense of ordinary Americans. These effects have been outsized in recent Illinois elections where campaign contribution limits have been lifted in both the gubernatorial and Chicago mayoral elections. This study examines the dominance of big donors in Chicago’s mayoral race.

Although Americans have reduced their driving since the middle of the last decade, the state of Illinois continues to spend lavishly on new highways. The state of Illinois and Indiana have proposed to build a new 47 mile toll road across the far southern extent of the Chicago metropolitan area at a cost of more than $1 billion—and perhaps as much as $3 billion, despite few anticipated benefits and opposition from several local community groups.