Candidates › State Senate

Chris Balkema R

Republican candidate for State Senator District 53

March 19, 2024 primary: won with 11,788 votes (49.4%) · November 5, 2024 general: won with 90,825 votes (100%)

Also ran for State Senator in 2026 ($95,060 raised).

Worth a look

Worth a look Late reports

2 large contributions ($8,050) reported on an A-1 after the deadline

A contribution of $1,000 or more must be reported to the State Board of Elections within 5 business days (2 in the last 30 days before an election the candidate is on the ballot for). The latest: $3,050 from Julie Lewis, received 2024-01-10, reported 2024-02-02: 16 business days, 11 past the deadline.

What to check

The receipt date is what the committee reported; a correction or a typo there changes the count.
A contribution received and returned within the same quarterly period needn't be reported on an A-1.
The Board decides on fines and can waive them (inadvertence, clerical error, days late).

The entries (2)

Name	Date	A-1 filed	Business days	Allowed	Amount
Julie Lewis	2024-01-10	2024-02-02	16	5	$3,050
Constellation Energy Generation	2024-03-05	2024-03-08	3	2	$5,000

Rule: Large contributions reported late

“A political committee shall file a report of any contribution of $1,000 or more electronically with the Board within 5 business days after receipt of the contribution, except that the report shall be filed within 2 business days after receipt if (i) the contribution is received 30 or fewer days before the date of an election”10 ILCS 5/9-10(c) ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how findings work

Worth a look Missing details

5 payments ($31,000) with no purpose given, $31,000 of it to the candidate or family

Every itemized payment on a report must say what it was for. These leave it blank. Payments to the candidate or their family are allowed only as pay for work they did, so a payment to them with no purpose is worth asking about.

What to check

The committee may have amended the report to add the purposes.
Whether each payment is a reimbursement, pay for work, repayment of a loan the candidate made to the campaign, or something else.

The entries (5)

Name	Who	Date	Amount
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-07-25	$10,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-11-11	$6,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-10-18	$5,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-10-28	$5,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-11-23	$5,000

Rule: Payments with no purpose given

“the full name and mailing address of each person to whom expenditures have been made by the committee or candidate within the reporting period in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $150; the amount, date, and purpose of each of those expenditures”10 ILCS 5/9-11(a)(12) ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how findings work

Context How the money was spent

$31,000 paid by the campaign to the candidate

Campaign money may go to a candidate or their family only as pay for work actually done; reimbursing campaign costs they paid out of pocket (mileage, travel, supplies) is common and allowed. The purposes the campaign wrote are listed with each payment.

What to check

Whether each payment is a reimbursement for campaign costs, or pay for work done.
Family is matched by last name and the home address on file with the Board; relatives elsewhere aren't found.

The entries (5)

Name	Who	Date	Amount
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-07-25	$10,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-11-11	$6,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-10-18	$5,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-10-28	$5,000
Chris Balkema	the candidate	2024-11-23	$5,000

Rule: Mileage, reimbursements and pay to the candidate

“For payments to a public official or candidate or his or her family member unless for compensation for services actually rendered by that person.”10 ILCS 5/9-8.10(a)(11) ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how findings work

Context Late reports

1 contribution of $1,000 or more ($1,000) with no A-1 found

Each contribution of $1,000 or more must be reported on an A-1 within days of receipt, ahead of the quarterly report. These appear on a quarterly report, but no A-1 entry from the same contributor for the same amount within a week of the date was found. The largest: $1,000 from Chris Brown Campaign Committee on 2023-09-09.

What to check

The A-1 may list the contributor under another spelling or a different amount (a split check).
A contribution received and returned within the same period needn't be reported on an A-1.
Search the committee's A-1 filings on the State Board of Elections' site to confirm.

The entries (1)

Name	Reported on	Date	Amount
Chris Brown Campaign Committee	Quarterly	2023-09-09	$1,000

Rule: Large contributions with no A-1 found

“A political committee shall file a report of any contribution of $1,000 or more electronically with the Board within 5 business days after receipt of the contribution”10 ILCS 5/9-10(c) ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how findings work

Campaign money

$164,449raised, 103 itemized contributions, plus $9,923 in small ones

$79,249from the candidate (incl. loans)

$230,890spent

$14,464cash on hand on December 31, 2024; $45,000 in debts

Where their money comes from (besides their own)

26%34%15%24%

IndividualsBusinessesTrade, professional and issue groupsLabor unionsParties and legislative caucusesOther candidates and officeholders

Plus $3,249 of their own money and from their other committees. Compare with all state candidates →

How it was spent: $230,890

Mail and literature$77,141

Other (as described)$47,134

Consultants and field$27,600

Contributions to other committees$16,750

Office, printing and supplies$14,979

Radio$13,002

Postage and delivery$10,323

Print ads and billboards$8,108

Digital and online$5,840

Polling$3,500

Largest payees: Linc Strategy $76,685 Digital and online · Chris Balkema $31,000 Other (as described) · Steven Shearer $25,400 Consultants and field · Friends of Sue Rezin $15,000 Contributions to other committees · USPS $9,668 Postage and delivery · Precision Signz $9,558 Office, printing and supplies · M3 Strategies $6,149 Polling · Great Plains Media $5,300 Radio

Grouped by the purpose each payment lists (“direct mail”, “consulting”), so the groups are approximate; a consultant's payments to others (ads, mail) show under the consultant.

Top contributors	Type	Total
Friends of Sue Rezin Morris	Committee	$25,000
Hoffman Transportation LLC Channahon	Business or group	$20,000
D Construction Coal City	Business or group	$15,000
Richard Uihlein CEO · Uline · Lake Forest	Person	$13,800
Ozinga for Illinois Mokena	Committee	$10,000
CHEMPAC Des Plaines	Committee	$5,000
Constellation Energy Generation Baltimore	Business or group	$5,000
Pembina ASLP (USA) LLC Houston	Business or group	$5,000
Realtor Politcal Action Committee Springfield	Committee	$5,000
Chris Balkema Manager · Caterpillar Inc.	Person	$3,249.43
Julie Lewis IT Analyst · PowerSchool · Germantown	Person	$3,050
Dan Hanback Retired · Retired · Yorkville	Person	$3,000
Cardinal Transport, Inc Coal City	Business or group	$2,500
The Illinois Chamber Political Action Committee Springfield	Committee	$2,500
John Bearce Owner · John Bearce Companies · Washington	Person	$2,000

Committee: Balkema for State Senate (every report they filed is on the State Board of Elections' site). Data current as of October 12, 2026.

Their donors also gave to

Their largest donors who also funded other 2024 state candidates.

Donor	To them	Candidates funded
Friends of Sue Rezin Candidate or officeholder committee · Morris	$25,000	8
D Construction Business · Coal City	$15,000	6
Ozinga for Illinois Candidate or officeholder committee · Mokena	$10,000	5
Richard Uihlein Executive, Uline · Lake Forest	$6,900	7
Richard Uihlein CEO, Uline · Lake Bluff	$6,900	7
Constellation Energy Generation Business · Baltimore	$5,000	20
CHEMPAC Group or PAC · Des Plaines	$5,000	53
The Illinois Chamber PAC Group or PAC · Springfield	$2,500	47
Cardinal Transport, Inc Business · Coal City	$2,500	2
Manufacturers PAC Group or PAC · Springfield	$2,000	53
John Bearce Principle, Bearce Automotive · Washington	$2,000	2
Lyondell Chemical Company PAC Group or PAC · Houston	$2,000	6
Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC Labor union · Countryside	$2,000	97
Chris Brown Campaign Committee Group or PAC · Morris	$1,500	6
Mike Mangold Executive, Mangold Ford · Eureka	$1,000	2