Chris Kennedy touted health care coverage as a vital part of the American dream this week yet newly filed campaign expenditures show the Democratic gubernatorial candidate hasnt paid health insurance costs for his own campaign employees. <\/p>\n
The Democrats campaign officials says they offered coverage, but no one took them up on it. <\/p>\n
That puts Kennedy at odds with at least four other gubernatorial campaigns. <\/p>\n
Democrats J.B. Pritzker, state Sen. Daniel Biss and Ald. Ameya Pawar, and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, all listed health insurance payments on campaign disclosure reports due on Monday. <\/p>\n
But Kennedys health insurance payments are missing. <\/p>\n
Its something youd expect to see, said Sarah Brune, executive director for the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. <\/p>\n
Kennedy campaign spokeswoman Hanah Jubeh on Thursday said there were no health insurance payments because many on staff are young and are still covered under their parents insurance, while others opted out. She said staff members that have been recently hired will get health insurance, and it will be reflected on the next required filing. Jubeh, spokesman Mark Bergman and campaign manager Brendan OSullivan were already covered through other employers and opted out of coverage through the campaign, she said. <\/p>\n
Recently weve had some new staffers who have expressed an interest and were in the process of actually executing on that, Jubeh said. Itll be on the next report. <\/p>\n
On Wednesday at a candidate forum in Little Village, Kennedy touted the importance of health care and its connection to the American dream. <\/p>\n
I believe that the American dream, therefore, is a civil right. If it is a civil right, then healthcare has to be part of it, Kennedy said to applause. Because if it is not, every family, every individual is just one bad diagnosis away from bankruptcy, from losing everything that theyve made in this country. We need to make sure that the American dream is the dream for all Americans. And to do that, we need to make sure that everybody in America is covered by healthcare. <\/p>\n
Kennedys campaign filing this week showed he took in $703,767.10 in campaign contributions but spent $652,523.79. The quarterly report filed with the Illinois State of Elections offered a deeper glance into Kennedys campaign spending, since many items were missing from his previous report. <\/p>\n
In the April filing, Kennedy didnt list some traditional campaign expenditures, includingpayments forwell-known consultants, rented office space, campaign T-shirts and stickers and travel expenses. <\/p>\n
The latest filing shows Kennedy spent $16,755 on rent, with monthly payments of $5,273. Kennedys campaign headquarters are in the Merchandise Mart the building he once managed. <\/p>\n
He spent $122,600 on payroll for at least 11 staffers. The first report didnt list salaries for key staffers such as OSullivan and finance director Emma Pieper. <\/p>\n
Kennedy spent more than $100,000 on consultants, $90,000 on digital consulting and more than $110,000 on research. Consultant pay was also missing from the first report. <\/p>\n
The first report also failed to mention how much Kennedy spent on expenses such as campaign stickers and T-shirts, some of which were evident in the Chicago St. Patricks Day Parade Kennedy attended in March. The latest filing shows he spent $2,646 for a printing company, and another $4,968.90 for a print and digital company. <\/p>\n
Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, announced his candidacy via a video sent to supporters on Feb. 8. While this is Kennedys first campaign, he has been touted as a candidate for Congress, U.S. Senate and governor since the turn of the 21stcentury. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Kennedy hasn't paid for staff health carebut touts coverage for all - Chicago Sun-Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chris Kennedy touted health care coverage as a vital part of the American dream this week yet newly filed campaign expenditures show the Democratic gubernatorial candidate hasnt paid health insurance costs for his own campaign employees. The Democrats campaign officials says they offered coverage, but no one took them up on it. That puts Kennedy at odds with at least four other gubernatorial campaigns. Continue reading