By Sam Hudzik, WBEZ
Chicago – Political campaigns in Illinois are making a final push this week to collect money from supporters ahead of a New Year's Eve fundraising deadline.
Campaigns want to raise as much money as they can before the first of the year, in large part because of bragging rights. In the next few weeks, campaigns will start unveiling how much money they've raised in the final months of 2009.
Candidates for state offices, including governor and the general assembly, have to file a fundraising report by January 20th.
Those running for the U.S. Senate or Congress have a bit longer; they don't have to release how much they got and from whom until January 31st.
That means voters and reporters will have just a couple days to absorb that information before the election.
Illinois' primary is scheduled for February 2. According to the state board of elections, that's the earliest in state history.