Petition: Expose Dark Money in the Illinois Primary

The recent Illinois Democratic primary saw an extraordinary surge of outside spending, with AIPAC-aligned groups raising and spending roughly $21 million to shape the outcome. This level of spending by a single interest-aligned network is not just a campaign detail—it is a defining feature of the race that raises serious questions about influence, accountability, and whose voices are being amplified.

Yet much of the media coverage treated the race as a typical primary contest, focusing on candidates, messaging, and polling while downplaying the outsized role of outside money. When tens of millions of dollars flow into a race from groups with specific policy agendas, failing to center that fact leaves voters without a clear understanding of what is driving the campaign and what interests may be at play.

We call on major news organizations to treat massive outside spending like this as a central political story—tracking where the money comes from, how it is spent, and what it means for governance after the election. Democracy depends on transparency, and voters deserve clear reporting when outside money reaches this scale and significance.