A New York-based political action committee backing conservative candidates in local school board races in Illinois next Tuesday has not disclosed what it’s spending on mailers that began arriving in Chicago-area mailboxes last week as required under state law, according to Illinois state election officials.
The 1776 Project PAC — which, according to its website, funds school board candidates who support teaching “patriotism and pride in American history” and oppose the teaching of critical race theory — is backing more than a dozen candidates in Illinois districts including Barrington and Oswego.
The group’s involvement comes as the Chicago suburbs have become a key front in a conservative movement targeting school board seats. Those efforts have brought on an unprecedented pushback from the state Democratic Party, which has plans to spend nearly $300,000 supporting 84 school and library board candidates and opposing 74 across 17 counties.
While the 1776 Project is registered with the Federal Election Commission, Illinois campaign finance law requires independent expenditure committees that spend money on races in the state to register with the state.
“If 1776 Project PAC is spending on races in Illinois, it is required to register with us and has not done so,” Matt Dietrich, a spokesman for the State Board of Elections, said Tuesday.
Additionally, if an independent expenditure committee like the 1776 Project spends more than $1,000 supporting or opposing a candidate within 60 of an election, it must be reported to state election officials within two business days.
Since it isn’t even registered with the state, the 1776 Project had not reported any such spending as of Tuesday afternoon, one week before Election Day.
Political consultant Ryan Girdusky, the PAC’s founder, told the Tribune on Tuesday that he believed the group was in compliance with federal campaign disclosure laws but was not aware of the Illinois requirements.
“If there’s a delay in the filing, then that’s on us, and we’ll take care of it,” Girdusky said.
Federal law only requires immediate disclosure of independent expenditures on behalf of candidates seeking federal offices.
The 1776 Project is registered with the FEC as a hybrid committee, meaning it has an account that can make direct contributions to candidates but is subject to contribution limits, as well as a separate account that can take in unlimited contributions but is prohibited from coordinating with candidates.
In an email last month, Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy lamented the state GOP’s lack of money to assist candidates looking to take on “the left’s infiltration of our schools through teacher unions and otherwise,” but encouraged candidates to seek the support of groups like the 1776 Project.
The PAC has gotten financial backing from a group with ties to ultraconservative GOP megadonor and billionaire Richard Uihlein, founder of the Uline office supply and products company, who contributed $54 million to Darren Bailey’s failed bid for Illinois governor in November.
The Illinois Democratic Party, meanwhile, buoyed by a recent $500,000 contribution from billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s campaign fund, also is targeting voters with mailers and digital ads.
But the party’s campaign fund is allowed to coordinate directly with candidates and therefore does not have to disclose its spending until the next quarterly filing deadline on April 17.
If the party spends a total of $1,000 or more on any individual candidate, the candidate is required to report it as an in-kind contribution within two business days.
