The Illinois State Board of Elections has released fundraising figures for the 4th quarter of 2025 for the four candidates seeking to replace La Shawn K. Ford as 8th District Illinois State Representative.
The four candidates, Jill Bush, Shantel Franklin, John Harrell and Latonya Mitts, have each exhibited different ways and sources of raising money and spending it — or not spending it. There is also a significant gap in key endorsements among candidates.
The 8th House District covers parts of north Austin and Garfield Park, as well as parts of Oak Park, Forest Park, Berwyn, Broadview, Cicero, Countryside, Hodgkins, LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Westchester and Western Springs.
Mitts, a community activist and daughter of long-time alderwoman Emma Mitts, and Harrell, a community activist and pastor to congregations in both Chicago and Proviso Township, appear to have the broadest bases of political support, with numerous endorsements and hefty contributions from numerous unions. However, the other two candidates — Bush, the director of community engagement for 29th Ward Alderman Chris Taliaferro, and Shantel Franklin, a real estate agent and former legislative liaison for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul — have their supporters and power bases as well.
Latonya Mitts’ filing papers list the same address as her mother’s 37th ward organization, and she has benefitted from access to a wide political circle. She has also clearly not taken that for granted, working throughout last summer and into the fall establishing a presence on the West Side.
“Every day is a work day,” her campaign posted in August on its Facebook page. Mitts spoke at a recent press conference alongside Cong. Danny K Davis, Alderman Emma Mitts and State Representative La Shawn K. Ford. In September she was on a panel with Alderwoman Mitts and 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., speaking to youth about the importance of voting.
Besides her last name and her mother’s 37th ward organization, Mitts, who took in $41,300 in the 4th quarter, enjoys strong support from unions. She received $31,000 from the well-funded Laborer International Union of North America’s District Council PAC, and $2,500 from IBEW Local 134. Unlike other candidates in the race, Mitts has spent just $1,400 of what she raised so far, mostly $1,000 for Democratic voter contact software.
Mitts has been endorsed by former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, as well as, significantly, officials outside her West Side powerbase, including Riverside Township Democratic Committeeman Mike Zaleski and Lyons Township Democratic Committeeman Steve Landek.
Mitts is also supported by numerous powerful, influential and politically active unions, including the Illinois AFL-CIO, the Chicago Laborers District Council (LIUNA), the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399, Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, IBEW Local 134 and Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130.
No candidate had a better 4th quarter than Harrell. He had already loaned his campaign $44,195 in the 3rd quarter to pay for expenses. Between October and January 1, he took in $69,800.
Like Mitts, Harrell has been endorsed by numerous people and organizations beyond the West Side, including several west suburban mayors, half a dozen Chicago alderpersons, three Cook County commissioners, three state senators and U.S. Senate candidate Raja Krishnamoorthi. He’s also been endorsed by the statewide Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and SEIU Local 73 sent him $30,000. Another $5,000 came from perennial Chicago candidate Willie Wilson.
That cash haul allowed Harrell to spend $65,073 for such campaign essentials as website design, legal fees and computer software, as well as staff and consulting. Harrell has spent heavily for campaign help, including $24,000 on consulting, $12,000 of that to former 5th District State Senator Ricky Hendon, who has been paid a total of $23,000.
Those sums pushed Harrell’s total spend to just under $100,000 so far.
Bush raised $35,433 the last three months of 2026, more than half of it from a total of $19,818 she loaned to her campaign. She received $1,000 from her boss, 29th Ward Alderman Taliaferro, and $500 from 7th Congressional candidate Jason Friedman.
Franklin raised $34,567 in the 4th quarter, from 50 donors, including $5,000 from The Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600 and $5,000 from former boss Attorney General Kwame Raoul. She spent more than $26,000 of what she raised, much of it for what appears to be two full-time campaign staffers and numerous part-time staff, and related expenses.
Franklin saw a nice infusion of additional cash on Jan. 20, when Raoul sent her $25,000.
