Andrew Chesney’s Second-Quarter Campaign Finance Disclosure

July 16, 2026 | F4F Election Coverage | Freeport, IL

As the November 2026 General Election approaches, incumbent Republican State Senator Andrew Chesney has filed his second-quarter campaign finance disclosure with the Illinois State Board of Elections. The report covers financial activity between April 1 and June 30, 2026.

The filing reports $205,747.22 in total receipts, $182,021.25 in total expenditures, $77,136.85 in available campaign funds and no outstanding debts or obligations at the close of the reporting period. The committee also reported holding $212,251.53 in investments.

Those totals include investment transactions in addition to money raised and spent on campaign activity.

After separating the investment transactions, the filing shows that Chesney’s campaign raised $37,512.49 in new contributions and political committee transfers during the three-month period. The committee reported $22,021.25 in expenditures outside of the $160,000 investment purchase as Chesney prepares to face Democratic challenger Joseph Berning in November.

Investment Activity

The largest receipt reported during the quarter was $168,234.73 listed under “Other Receipts.”

According to the disclosure, that money came from the sale of an existing investment held through GreenState Credit Union. It was not a new campaign contribution or donation. The money already belonged to the campaign and was moved out of an investment and back into available funds.

The following day, the committee reported using $160,000 to purchase another investment through GreenState Credit Union. Although the transaction appears within the expenditure section of the disclosure, the money was reinvested and remained an asset of the campaign rather than being spent on advertising, staffing, consulting or other campaign operations.

Those two transactions account for most of the receipts and expenditures appearing on the quarterly report.

How Much Did the Campaign Raise?

After removing the $168,234.73 investment sale, Chesney’s campaign reported raising $37,512.49 during the second quarter.

That total included $23,490.24 in itemized contributions, $1,172.25 in smaller non-itemized contributions, $12,450 in itemized transfers from political committees and another $400 in non-itemized political committee transfers.

The campaign reported no loans during the quarter.

Largest Contributors

Repeated contributions from the same source have been combined to show the actual amount each contributor provided during the reporting period.

Ameren — $3,000

Ameren made two contributions: $500 on May 4 and $2,500 on June 15.

Steven Chesney — $3,000

Steven Chesney contributed $3,000 on April 23.

Forreston Mutual Insurance Company — $2,500

The company contributed $2,500 on April 20.

Stableford Capital — $2,500

Stableford Capital contributed $2,500 on June 4.

William Huels — $1,500

Huels contributed $1,500 on June 11.

Laurie Miller — $1,500

Miller also contributed $1,500, creating a tie for the fifth-largest reported contribution.

Other contributions included $1,041.02 from Mike Freund, $1,000 from Constellation Energy Generation LLC and numerous smaller contributions from residents and businesses in Freeport and surrounding communities.

Political Committee Support

The campaign reported $12,850 in transfers from political committees, including $12,450 in itemized transfers and $400 in non-itemized transfers.

The largest political committee contributions were:

Illinois Hospital Association PAC — $1,500

Illinois State Medical Society PAC — $1,500

Illinois Manufactured Housing Association PAC — $1,500

Associated Firefighters of Illinois PAC — $1,000

Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois PAC — $1,000

Carroll County Republican Central Committee — $1,000

DENT-IL-PAC — $1,000

Illinois REALTORS PAC — $1,000

Mid-West Truckers Association PAC — $1,000

The Illinois Action Committee for Rural Electrification made two transfers totaling $950. Other support included $500 from the Grain & Feed Legislative Committee and $500 from Nicole for Illinois.

The contributing committees represent interests that include healthcare, organized labor, agriculture, real estate, trucking, dentistry, rural electric providers, manufactured housing and beverage distribution.

How Much Did the Campaign Spend?

The committee reported $182,021.25 in total expenditures during the quarter. That figure includes the $160,000 investment purchase through GreenState Credit Union.

After separating that investment transaction, the filing shows $22,021.25 in other expenditures.

That amount includes both campaign operating expenses and $1,900 transferred to other Republican political committees.

Largest Operating Expenses

Repeated payments to the same vendor have been combined to show how much each recipient received during the full reporting period.

SV Events Co. — $3,653.72

The campaign made multiple payments to SV Events Co. for event consulting, mileage, printing and event supplies. The total included three $1,000 consulting payments and $653.72 in additional mileage, printing and supply expenses.

The Newberg Group — $3,000

The campaign paid The Newberg Group $1,000 in April, $1,000 in May and $1,000 in June for consulting services.

Rapped In Smoke — $1,300

The Freeport business received $1,300 for food associated with a fundraising event.

Design & Print Solutions — $953.39

Six payments for printing and postage totaled $953.39 during the quarter.

Other notable expenses included $916.25 reimbursed to Andrew Chesney for mileage, $758.38 paid to Golfballs.com for fundraising-event gifts and $675 paid to Finance & Compliance Solutions for compliance consulting.

The campaign also paid $309 to Mailchimp for email advertising, $309.03 to Verizon Wireless for cell phone service and $326.37 to the Hampton Inn in Freeport for fundraising staff lodging.

Additional spending included office and event supplies, meals, sponsorships, processing fees, advertising and other routine campaign costs.

Contributions to Other Campaigns

Chesney’s committee transferred $1,900 to four other Republican campaign committees during the quarter.

Vancil for Congress — $1,000

Bailey for Illinois — $500

Citizens for Becky Springer — $200

Citizens to Elect Brian VanVickle for Sheriff — $200

These transfers are included within the $22,021.25 in expenditures outside of the campaign’s investment purchase.

Community Sponsorships

The report also shows spending on several community organizations and events.

The campaign reported $250 to Safe Haven Humane Society, $200 to the Carroll County Beef Show, $200 to the Elizabeth Community Fair, $200 to the Rockford Family Initiative and $175 to the Lifeline Coalition.

Together, those five sponsorships totaled $1,025.

Committee Assets

The campaign began the reporting period with $53,410.88 in available funds.

It closed the quarter with $77,136.85 in available cash and $212,251.53 in reported investment assets. The committee reported no outstanding debts or obligations.

Combined, the campaign reported approximately $289,388.38 in cash and investments as of June 30.

The reported investment holdings consisted of two active GreenState Credit Union investments. One was purchased in December 2025 for $50,000 and was valued at $51,099.53. The second was purchased on April 21, 2026, for $160,000 and was valued at $161,152.

The Second-Quarter Picture

During the second quarter, Chesney’s campaign raised $37,512.49 in new contributions and political committee transfers.

Outside of the $160,000 reinvestment, the committee reported $22,021.25 in expenditures, including campaign operating costs and contributions to other Republican committees.

The campaign ended the quarter with approximately $289,388 in combined cash and investments and no reported campaign debt as the Republican incumbent prepares to face Democratic challenger Joseph Berning in the November General Election.