Show Us The Money
Paul Friedman raised $4,996 in his campaign for Illinois's 9th U.S. House District. Every dollar came from individual contributors. His campaign reported no loans, no PAC money, and no party contributions. After spending $4,994.75, his campaign had just $1.25 cash on hand.
Candidate Rankings
Friedman's fundraising places him near the bottom of Illinois's congressional campaign finance landscape in 2026. Illinois candidates raised a combined $357 million this cycle. His $4,996 represents less than 0.002% of that total.
The state's top fundraisers far outpace him by millions of dollars. Among the highest-raising candidates in Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi leads with $31,390,858.87, followed by Juliana Stratton at $4,791,273.46 and Katherine Abughazaleh at $4,068,879.00. All top five fundraisers in Illinois for the 2026 cycle are Democrats.
Incumbents vs. Challengers
Incumbents running in Illinois in the 2026 cycle hold a commanding financial advantage over challengers and open-seat candidates like Friedman. Democratic candidates in the state raised a combined total of $97,804,250.60 across 90 candidates, while Republican candidates raised $11,730,337.01 across 32 candidates. Independent candidates raised $407,878.45 across three candidates.
The financial gap between parties and between sitting members and challengers is typical in congressional races, where name recognition and established donor networks give sitting members a significant head start.
Source: Federal Election Commission (FEC), data current as of February 25, 2026.
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