Candidates › State Senate

Graciela Guzman D

Democratic candidate for State Senator District 20

March 19, 2024 primary: won with 13,521 votes (51.3%) · November 5, 2024 general: won with 61,803 votes (100%)

🔓 Contribution limits are off in their race (limits off for race).

Also ran for State Senator in 2026 ($212,284 raised).

Worth a look

Worth a look Late reports

3 large contributions ($6,000) 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: $3,300 from Grassroots Political Action Committee, received 2024-03-06, reported 2024-04-14: 27 business days, 25 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 (3)

Name	Date	A-1 filed	Business days	Allowed	Amount
Grassroots Political Action Committee	2024-03-06	2024-04-14	27	2	$3,300
Carlos for Chicago	2024-03-18	2024-04-14	19	2	$1,700
Katy Schafer	2024-01-29	2024-02-07	7	5	$1,000

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

Context How the money was spent

$1,725.78 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 (4)

Name	Who	Purpose (as reported)	Date	Amount
Graciela Guzman	the candidate	Subscription	2023-10-16	$601
Graciela Guzman	the candidate	Reimbursement - transportation, gas	2024-05-17	$475
Graciela Guzman	the candidate	Reimbursement - transportation and food	2024-05-13	$350
Graciela Guzman	the candidate	Gas Reimbursement	2024-09-07	$300

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

2 contributions of $1,000 or more ($2,000) 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 Constance Baznik on 2024-01-15.

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 (2)

Name	Reported on	Date	Amount
Constance Baznik	Quarterly	2024-01-15	$1,000
Painters District Council #14 PAC	Quarterly	2024-09-26	$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

$920,503raised, 433 itemized contributions, plus $47,433 in small ones

$0from the candidate (incl. loans)

$508,870spent

$68,928cash on hand on December 31, 2024

Where their money comes from (besides their own)

10%25%54%10%

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

Compare with all state candidates →

How it was spent: $508,870

Digital and online$121,792

Staff pay$103,173

Other (as described)$98,051

Consultants and field$73,690

Office, printing and supplies$53,629

Postage and delivery$22,652

Contributions to other committees$13,785

Fundraising and events$8,949

Legal, accounting and fees$5,992

Polling$4,000

Largest payees: Caitlin Brady $58,432 Staff pay · Orange Hat Innovation $45,000 Digital and online · Minuteman Press Chicago $34,528 Postage and delivery · Meta $30,562 Digital and online · Google $25,893 Digital and online · Sandra Puebla $19,068 Staff pay · Union Signs and Printing $13,565 Office, printing and supplies · MF Strategies $12,500 Consultants and field

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
Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 PAC Chicago	Business or group	$207,154.38
Grassroots Political Action Committee Chicago	Business or group	$80,684.60
Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE Westmont	Committee	$68,000
Chicago Teacher's Union PAC (Illinois Federation of Teachers) Chicago	Business or group	$65,020.30
JB for Governor Chicago	Committee	$50,000
Chicago Teacher's Union PAC (Illinois Federation of Teachers) Chicago	Committee	$45,000
Grassroots Political Action Committee Chicago	Committee	$28,300
United with Delia Chicago	Committee	$27,500
Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 PAC Chicago	Committee	$25,000
ISDF, NFP Oak Park	Committee	$25,000
Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600 Chicago	Committee	$20,000
Committee to Elect Will Guzzardi Chicago	Committee	$11,000
Carpentry Advancement PAC Fund Chicago	Committee	$10,000
Chicago Land Operations Joint Labor Management PAC Countryside	Committee	$10,000
Friends of Bill Cunningham Chicago	Committee	$10,000

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

Their home

$600,000 – $700,000estimated market value, 2026 assessment

$335,800median home value in Cook County (Illinois: $280,700)

The Cook County assessor's estimate of the market value of the home at the address Graciela Guzman filed with the State Board of Elections, shown as a range; the address isn't published here. Assessments trail the market and can be appealed, so treat it as a rough figure. How this works. Medians: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024.

Their donors also gave to

Their largest donors who also funded other 2024 state candidates.

Donor	To them	Candidates funded
Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 PAC Labor union · Chicago	$232,154	3
Grassroots Political Action Committee Group or PAC · Chicago	$108,985	2
Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE Labor union · Westmont	$68,000	89
JB for Governor Candidate or officeholder committee · Chicago	$50,000	33
United with Delia Group or PAC · Chicago	$27,500	4
ISDF, NFP Group or PAC · Oak Park	$25,000	2
Committee to Elect Will Guzzardi Candidate or officeholder committee · Chicago	$11,000	2
Progressive Dems for Jessie Fuentes Group or PAC · Chicago	$10,000	2
Friends of Bill Cunningham Candidate or officeholder committee · Chicago	$10,000	11
Carpentry Advancement Political Action Committee Fund Group or PAC · Chicago	$10,000	65
IBEW Illinois PAC Labor union · Washington	$10,000	66
Chicago Land Operations Joint Labor Management PAC Labor union · Countryside	$10,000	2
United Working Families PAC Group or PAC · Chicago	$7,269	2
Sierra Club Illinois Chapter PAC Group or PAC · Chicago	$5,510	28
UIC United Faculty COPE Labor union · Chicago	$5,000	6