Candidates › State Senate

Sara Feigenholtz D

Incumbent, Democratic candidate for State Senator District 6

March 17, 2026 primary: won with 23,197 votes (55.1%) · November 3, 2026 general

🔓 Contribution limits are off in their race (board determination).

Also ran for State Senator in 2022 ($457,039 raised).

Worth a look

Worth a look Late reports

2 large contributions ($2,000) 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: $1,000 from Holsten Management, received 2025-04-20, reported 2025-05-12: 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
Holsten Management	2025-04-20	2025-05-12	16	5	$1,000
Amy Lawless	2025-04-20	2025-05-12	16	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 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 Amy Lawless on 2025-05-12.

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
Amy Lawless	Quarterly	2025-05-12	$1,000
Holsten Management	Quarterly	2025-05-12	$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 Missing details

41 of 47 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 (25 of 41)

Name	Date	Amount
Jeff Aeder	2025-11-24	$5,000
Brigid McGrath	2026-04-09	$5,000
Sam Sanchez	2025-08-09	$5,000
Leo Smith	2025-12-03	$5,000
Mitchell Kaufman	2025-09-30	$3,500
Fred Eychaner	2025-09-23	$2,500
William Gold	2025-08-09	$2,500
Peter Holsten	2025-07-23	$2,500
Jay Keller	2026-03-13	$2,500
Todd Stern	2025-12-03	$2,500
Daniel Laytin	2026-02-10	$1,800
Ben Caplan	2026-03-13	$1,500
Peter Holsten	2026-04-09	$1,500
Joey Letchinger	2025-06-25	$1,500
Thomas Murphy	2025-11-03	$1,500
Keith Lesnick	2025-12-16	$1,050
Martin Cournane	2026-02-21	$1,000
John Daley	2025-08-09	$1,000
John Daley	2025-11-24	$1,000
Michael Fassnacht	2025-12-17	$1,000
David Gassman	2025-08-09	$1,000
William Gold	2025-12-03	$1,000
Mary Ellen Gornick	2025-11-03	$1,000
Peter Holsten	2025-11-24	$1,000
John Killpack	2025-11-24	$1,000

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

$975,434raised, 380 itemized contributions, plus $14,049 in small ones

$0from the candidate (incl. loans)

$922,530spent

$740,063cash on hand on June 30, 2026

$9,000 of it in 7 large contributions reported on A-1s since their last quarterly report (through June 30, 2026): $1,000 or more from one source must be reported within days, ahead of the next quarterly.

Sports Betting Alliance $2,500 2026-10-02 · Community Banc PAC $1,500 2026-08-06 · Accel Entertainment Gaming, LLC $1,000 2026-08-06 · Google $1,000 2026-09-03 · J & J Ventures Gaming $1,000 2026-09-22 · McGuireWoods Federal PAC Fund $1,000 2026-08-31 · Phrma $1,000 2026-10-02

Where their money comes from (besides their own)

13%30%22%15%19%

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

Compare with all state candidates →

How it was spent: $922,530

Other (as described)$310,809

Contributions to other committees$204,235

Consultants and field$146,583

Mail and literature$92,000

Office, printing and supplies$56,676

Staff pay$41,412

Polling$28,900

Fundraising and events$13,629

Donations and sponsorships$13,619

Postage and delivery$7,465

Largest payees: AL Media $206,700 Other (as described) · Democratic Party of Illinois $185,335 Mail and literature · The Strategy Group $62,000 Mail and literature · C Strategies $48,000 Consultants and field · David Mellet $41,000 Consultants and field · Samuel Gragert $35,035 Staff pay · Impact Research $28,900 Polling · Jam-tik Marketing $16,925 Other (as described)

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
Democratic Party of Illinois Springfield	Business or group	$187,464.40
ISDF Oak Park	Business or group	$113,347.37
Illinois Education Association (IPACE) Springfield	Committee	$72,800
DWS Kansas City	Business or group	$52,567.98
Carpentry Advancement PAC Chicago	Committee	$52,500
Realtor PAC Springfield	Committee	$30,000
Health Care Council of Illinois PAC Springfield	Business or group	$27,000
DaVita Tacoma	Business or group	$20,000
I.P.A.C.E. Springfield	Committee	$20,000
LiUNA Chicago Laborers' District Council Burr Ridge	Committee	$18,000
The Fifty 50 Group Chicago	Business or group	$13,168.60
Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC Countryside	Committee	$10,500
Health Care Council of Illinois PAC Springfield	Committee	$10,500
IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund Washington	Committee	$10,000
Illinois Laborers' Legislative Committee Springfield	Committee	$10,000

Committee: Citizens for Sara Feigenholtz (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

$31,050spent supporting them

$0spent opposing them

Spender		Amount
Illinois REALTORS Fund primary · 2026-02-17 – 2026-02-19	for	$25,800
Common Ground Collective IEC primary · 2026-03-06	for	$5,250

Independent expenditures reported by other committees since January 1, 2025. The candidate doesn't control them.

Committees

Their seats in the current General Assembly, from ilga.gov. Compare with who funds them: their donors.

Their donors also gave to

Their largest donors who also funded other 2026 state candidates.

Donor	To them	Candidates funded
Democratic Party of Illinois Party or caucus committee · Chicago	$187,464	31
ISDF Business · Oak Park	$113,347	16
Carpentry Advancement PAC Group or PAC · Chicago	$52,500	36
Health Care Council of Illinois PAC Group or PAC · Springfield	$37,500	65
Realtor Political Action Committee Group or PAC · Springfield	$30,000	101
Davita Business · Federal Way	$20,000	21
I.P.A.C.E. Group or PAC · Springfield	$20,000	52
LiUNA Chicago Laborers District Council Labor union · Burr Ridge	$18,000	21
Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC Labor union · Countryside	$10,500	115
Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois PAC Group or PAC · Springfield	$10,487	69
Illinois Trial Lawyers PAC Group or PAC · Springfield	$10,000	5
Illinois Laborers' Legislative Committee Labor union · Springfield	$10,000	78
IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund Labor union · Washington	$10,000	8
Barton Management, Inc. Business · Northfield	$8,500	10
Illinois Hospital Association PAC Group or PAC · Springfield	$8,000	57