National Review Online's Jim Geraghty points out three Illinois U.S. House candidates of Underfunded 20 nationally badly in need of funding.
Adam Kinzinger, Illinois’s 11th district: Kinzinger is another candidate that the NRCC touted early, and he’s largely lived up to the hype. He ended the last cycle with healthy reserves — more than $480,000 on hand. Unfortunately, his opponent, Rod Blagojevich–ally and incumbent Debbie Halvorson, has $1.4 million. Because of the high cost of advertising on Chicago television, this Joliet-centered district of fast-growing Windy City suburbs ranks as one of the most expensive in the country.
Randy Hultgren, Illinois’s 14th district: Like Kinzinger, Hultgren is managing to raise funds in a state widely considered deep blue. He has raised $778,000 so far this cycle, but has only $244,000 on hand, while incumbent Democrat Bill Foster has $1.5 million. Foster hasn’t been there long; he won a 2008 special election in this R+1 district.
Bobby Schilling, Illinois’s 17th district: On paper, Schilling should be a hopelessly outmuscled challenger against Phil Hare, a two-term Democratic incumbent in a district Obama carried by 15 percentage points. But a recent poll put Schilling ahead by a comfortable margin, 45 percent to 32 percent, and it showed that Hare — who gained some infamy for uttering “I don’t worry about the Constitution on this, to be honest” while arguing with constituents about the health-care bill — has miserable job-approval and favorable numbers for an incumbent. This is all great news for Schilling, but Hare’s $885,000 can buy a lot of ads, and Schilling currently has only $211,000.