Candidates › State House

Emanuel "Chris" Welch D

Incumbent, Democratic candidate for State Representative District 7

June 28, 2022 primary: won with 10,790 votes (100%) · November 8, 2022 general: won with 25,112 votes (100%)

🔓 Contribution limits are off in their race (self funding disclosure).

Also ran for State Representative in 2026 ($19.6M raised), 2024 ($16.8M raised).

Worth a look

Worth a look Late reports

6 large contributions ($62,500) 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: $2,500 from Casino Queen, received 2022-07-12, reported 2022-08-05: 18 business days, 13 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 (6)

Name	Date	A-1 filed	Business days	Allowed	Amount
Casino Queen	2022-07-12	2022-08-05	18	5	$2,500
UP Railroad Company	2022-07-12	2022-08-05	18	5	$5,000
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. Political Action Committee	2022-07-12	2022-08-05	18	5	$7,500
Marquis Energy LLC	2022-07-18	2022-08-05	14	5	$40,000
Penn National Gaming Inc.	2022-07-18	2022-08-05	14	5	$5,000
Illinois Construction Industry PAC	2022-07-18	2022-08-05	14	5	$2,500

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 Late reports

10 contributions of $1,000 or more ($70,403.97) 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: $36,903.97 from Zelda's Catering on 2021-10-13.

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 (10)

Name	Reported on	Date	Amount
Zelda's Catering	Quarterly	2021-10-13	$36,904
PhRMA	Quarterly	2021-08-19	$12,000
Illinois American Water Company PAC	Quarterly	2021-11-16	$6,000
Associated Fire Fighters of IL PAC Fund	Quarterly	2022-03-09	$5,000
Illinois Bankers PAC	Quarterly	2021-08-03	$2,500
IBEW Local 701 PAC	Quarterly	2021-08-19	$2,500
American Traffic Solutions Inc.	Quarterly	2021-11-23	$2,500
Jeffrey Glass Legislative Consulting	Quarterly	2021-08-19	$1,000
Knight E/A, Inc.	Quarterly	2021-08-19	$1,000
ATU COPE Voluntary Account	Quarterly	2021-08-19	$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

Context How the money was spent

$2,077.86 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. Not counted: $100,001 repaying the candidate's loans to the campaign or returning their money, which the law allows.

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 (2)

Name	Who	Purpose (as reported)	Date	Amount
Emanuel Welch	the candidate	Reimbursement for dinners with candidates	2021-04-23	$1,527
Emanuel C Welch	the candidate	Reimbursement for Dinner with Candidates	2022-01-11	$551

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 Missing details

4 payments ($4,460.52) with no purpose given

Every itemized payment on a report must say what it was for. These leave it blank.

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 (4)

Name	Date	Amount
Tory Horton	2022-06-15	$1,649
Tionna Clanton	2021-12-20	$1,000
Lizbeth Ramirez	2021-12-20	$1,000
Tory Horton	2022-06-01	$811

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 Missing details

20 of 176 donors giving over $500 listed with no employer or occupation

For anyone who gives more than $500 in a reporting period, a report must list their occupation and employer, or say the committee made a good-faith effort to find out. These list neither.

What to check

The committee may have filed an amendment adding them.
A retiree or someone not employed should still be listed as such.

The entries (20)

Name	Date	Amount
Marcena W Love	2021-06-30	$5,000
Nelson Santos	2021-04-16	$5,000
Mary P Beaubien	2021-06-02	$2,500
Barbara Bluhm-Kaul	2021-06-02	$2,500
Donne Trotter	2021-02-01	$2,500
Grace Newton	2021-06-02	$1,500
Benjamin M. Whipple	2021-01-30	$1,250
Cheryl Axley	2021-02-02	$1,000
Mark Donovan	2021-02-02	$1,000
Susanne Hack	2021-02-06	$1,000
Mona Martin	2021-03-26	$1,000
Sheila Nielsen	2021-06-30	$1,000
Courtney Nottage	2021-01-30	$1,000
Billy J. Paige	2021-02-06	$1,000
Anthony Pontillo	2021-04-16	$1,000
Barbara A Staples King	2021-01-30	$1,000
Mary Stowell	2021-06-02	$1,000
Jack Wuest	2021-03-12	$1,000
Fred Lebed	2021-04-16	$750
Mona Martin	2021-05-16	$520

Rule: Donors with no employer or occupation

“if the contributor is an individual who contributed more than $500, the occupation and employer of the contributor or, if the occupation and employer of the contributor are unknown, a statement that the committee has made a good faith effort to ascertain this information”10 ILCS 5/9-11(a)(4) ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how findings work

Campaign money

$22,014,903raised, 2,088 itemized contributions, plus $9,355 in small ones

$100,001from the candidate (incl. loans)

$20,722,818spent

$1,257,191cash on hand on December 31, 2022

Where their money comes from (besides their own)

19%38%39%

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

Compare with all state candidates →

How it was spent: $20,722,818

Contributions to other committees$17,756,277

Other (as described)$1,025,270

Postage and delivery$449,216

Donations and sponsorships$330,140

Polling$227,515

Fundraising and events$201,357

Digital and online$180,298

Consultants and field$167,695

Office, printing and supplies$166,516

Mail and literature$78,287

Largest payees: Democrats for the Illinois House $11,760,344 Contributions to other committees · Democratic Party of Illinois $5,618,283 Contributions to other committees · The Dover Group $617,794 Digital and online · Friends of Mary K O'Brien $350,000 Contributions to other committees · Tulchin Research $199,515 Polling · James M. Sweeney Golf Classic $150,000 Donations and sponsorships · Elizabeth M Rochford For Illinois Supreme Court 2022 $150,000 Contributions to other committees · Cook County Democratic Party $105,000 Contributions to other committees

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
LiUNA Chicago Laborers' District Council PAC Burr Ridge	Committee	$2,231,900
Engineers Political Education Committee Separate Education Fund Washington	Committee	$2,200,000
IBEW Illinois PAC Washington	Committee	$1,071,000
Carpentry Advancement PAC Fund Chicago	Committee	$970,000
Illinois Pipe Trades PAC Account Springfield	Committee	$905,200
Health Care Council of Illinois Springfield	Committee	$902,350
Engineers Political Education Committee Separate Education Fund Washington	Business or group	$569,300
UA Union Plumbers & Pipefitters Vote! PAC Annapolis	Committee	$500,000
Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC Countryside	Committee	$474,900
SEIU Illinois Council PAC Fund Chicago	Committee	$419,800
AFSCME Washington	Business or group	$340,015
Illinois Laborers' Legislative Committee Springfield	Committee	$334,900
Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE Westmont	Committee	$306,500
I.U.O.E. Local 399 Political Education Fund Chicago	Committee	$260,000
Pipefitters' Assoc Local 597 UA Illinois PAC Fund Chicago	Committee	$250,000

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

Outside spending for and against them

$69spent supporting them

$0spent opposing them

Spender		Amount
Illinois Farm Bureau ACTIVATOR general · 2022-10-26	for	$69

Independent expenditures reported by other committees since January 1, 2021. The candidate doesn't control them.

Their donors also gave to

Their largest donors who also funded other 2022 state candidates.

Donor	To them	Candidates funded
Engineers Political Education Committee Separate Education Fund Group or PAC · Washington	$2,769,300	7
LIUNA Chicago Laborers' District Council PAC Labor union · Burr Ridge	$2,231,900	91
Health Care Council of Illinois Group or PAC · Springfield	$1,127,350	8
IBEW Illinois PAC Labor union · Washington	$1,071,000	63
Carpentry Advancement PAC Fund Group or PAC · Chicago	$970,000	73
Illinois Pipe Trades PAC Account Group or PAC · Springfield	$905,200	28
Pipefitters' Association Local 597 UA Illinois PAC Fund Labor union · Chicago	$500,000	5
UA Union Plumbers & Pipefitters Vote! PAC Labor union · Annapolis	$500,000	4
Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC Labor union · Countryside	$474,900	126
Illinois Laborers' Legislative Committee Labor union · Springfield	$434,900	88
SEIU Illinois Council PAC Fund Labor union · Chicago	$419,800	29
AFSCME Labor union · Washington	$340,015	74
Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE Labor union · Westmont	$306,500	119
I.U.O.E. Local 399 Political Education Fund Labor union · Chicago	$260,000	34
Michael J. Sacks CEO, Grosvenor Capital Management · Chicago	$250,000	14