Chicago Chesney & Who’s Trying to Buy Power in Northwest Illinois?
FREEPORT, IL – October 14, 2025
The Money Behind the Throne
In Illinois politics, money doesn’t just talk — it tries to drown everyone else out. That dynamic is playing out in the Republican primary for Illinois Senate District 45, where incumbent Senator Andrew Chesney is facing a challenger who isn’t playing by Springfield’s usual rules: Joshua T. Atkinson — a Navy veteran, businessman, and community advocate who’s quickly built a reputation as the people’s voice against political corruption.
Despite already sitting on a campaign war chest exceeding a quarter of a million dollars — much of it thanks to a generous contribution from his father — Chesney spent the summer months raising even more. His latest Q3 disclosure (July 1 – September 30, 2025) shows nearly $30,000 in new receipts, bringing his total financial power to roughly $250,000 in cash and investments.
To some, it’s a sign of strength. To others, it’s a sign of insecurity — a man with deep pockets but shallow roots, trying to buy loyalty he can’t earn.
Fundraising on the Backs of Constituents
In September, Chesney hosted a $50-a-head fundraiser in Galena — an odd choice for a candidate already sitting on enough campaign cash to wallpaper his district in billboards. “He already has a quarter million in the bank,” said one longtime Republican from Jo Daviess County, “and now he’s charging his own voters to see him?”
Even some of his fellow Republicans are quietly saying what others won’t on record:
“If Andy focused more on doing his job than stirring the pot, he wouldn’t have to raise another dime.”
Meanwhile, Atkinson took the opposite approach. He canceled his own fundraiser, explaining:
“People are struggling right now — families are worried about their jobs, their bills, and their futures. I’d rather earn the people’s trust and their votes than take their money. If I keep putting their needs first, the financial support will come. And if it doesn’t, that’s fine — because I believe the votes will.”
One candidate charges admission to shake his hand. The other refuses to take a dime from people just trying to get by.
Who’s Funding Andrew Chesney?
Chesney’s latest D-2 campaign report reveals what kind of support his money really buys — and it’s not from farmers, factory workers, or families in northwest Illinois.
Top Contributors Include:
Realtor PAC (Springfield) – $2,500
Guarantee Trust Life Insurance (Glenview) – $1,500
Illinois State Medical Society PAC (Chicago) – $1,500
Community BancPac (Springfield) – $1,000
Accel Entertainment Gaming LLC (Bolingbrook) – $1,000
PhRMA (Washington, D.C.) – $500
Manufacturers PAC (Springfield) – $500
It’s particularly interesting to see the Realtors PAC resurface — the same group known statewide for defending the landlords and slumlords destroying our small towns, while opposing legislation that promotes responsible property management, transparency, and accountability. This is the same PAC that bankrolled Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller’s 2025 re-election campaign, while her mailers falsely accused Atkinson of being tied to “slumlords.”
Turns out, it wasn’t Atkinson tied to these people. He tried to tell us that it Jodi Miller and Andrew Chesney in bed with them all along — and now those same special interests again, are standing proudly behind Senator Chesney.
Buying a Team, Not Building One
While Atkinson has spent the past three months traveling the district, shaking hands, and recruiting volunteers, Chesney has spent his time — and other people’s money — on consultants, lawyers, and ads.
His campaign expenditures tell the story:
$6,000 to The Newberg Group for consulting.
$3,000 to Drew Law Group for legal fees.
Nearly $800 reimbursed to himself for mileage.
$792 at Blaum Bros. Distilling Co. for beverages at a fundraiser.
Over $2,000 in Facebook ads.
In total, Chesney burned through over $40,000 in just three months.
Atkinson, by comparison, has spent less than $5,000 total — and hasn’t taken a single dime from special interests.
When asked why, Atkinson didn’t hesitate:
“Why would I? Until October 27 — filing day — every candidate and every party should be focused on collecting signatures and getting to know the communities they hope to serve. If my military experience taught me anything, it’s that you don’t win a war fighting for what you don’t have. The best strategy is skillfully using what you do have. He may have all the money in the world — but let’s be honest, that’s it. That’s all he has, and from what I gather, all he’s ever had.
I have my reputation, my compassion, my honesty, my intelligence, my work ethic, and my commitment to the people I hope to serve. Let him spend his money — I know voters, especially Republican voters, are smarter than he gives them credit for. He can buy all the lies he wants. It’s not going to work this time.”
That quote may sum up the race better than any statistic could.
The Real Republican in the Race
Atkinson’s approach reflects the kind of Republican values many feel have been forgotten: personal responsibility, fiscal restraint, integrity, and service to community before party.
While Chesney’s reports read like a corporate expense sheet, Atkinson’s campaign looks more like a movement — volunteers, neighbors, and everyday Illinoisans stepping up for a candidate who’s actually among them.
Chesney seems to be relying on consultants to tell him how to connect. Atkinson’s already out there doing it.
The Bigger Picture: Buying Influence, Losing Touch
It’s one thing to raise money. It’s another to depend on it.
For years, northwest Illinois has struggled with crumbling infrastructure, high taxes, and underinvestment. Yet the sitting Senator’s focus appears less on solutions and more on maintaining his political comfort zone.
Atkinson’s campaign has been a reminder that leadership doesn’t come from dollar signs or downtown offices — it comes from showing up, listening, and doing the work yourself.
When the dust settles, Republican voters will have a clear choice — the candidate with the biggest budget, or the one with the guts to fight back..
The Bottom Line
Andrew Chesney may have the money — but Josh Atkinson has the message, the momentum, and the moral ground.
As one lifelong Republican in Freeport put it:
“Chesney’s trying to buy the seat. Josh is trying to earn it.”
And in the end, northwest Illinois will decide whether leadership is something that can be bought — or something that must be earned.
