Top recipients of campaign cash
Antoin "Tony'' Rezko, his family, his businesses and business associates have donated thousands of dollars to politicians since 1989, when he began getting tax dollars to build housing for the poor in Chicago. Rezko has also been a prolific campaign fund-raiser for politicians. These are some of the politicians who've benefitted most from Rezko's political fund-raising:
1. John Stroger, ex-Cook County Board president -- $148,300 A Rezko company had a contract to maintain pay telephones at the Cook County Jail under Stroger. Also, Rezko has had business ties with Stroger family members and friends.
1. John Stroger, ex-Cook County Board president -- $148,300 A Rezko company had a contract to maintain pay telephones at the Cook County Jail under Stroger. Also, Rezko has had business ties with Stroger family members and friends.
2. Gov. Blagojevich -- $117,652 Rezko has been a longtime supporter and top fund-raiser for Blagojevich, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaigns. As governor, Blagojevich gave jobs and state appointments to Rezko friends. Rezko has been indicted on federal charges that accuse him of demanding kickbacks from companies seeking state business under Blagojevich.
2. Gov. Blagojevich -- $117,652 Rezko has been a longtime supporter and top fund-raiser for Blagojevich, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaigns. As governor, Blagojevich gave jobs and state appointments to Rezko friends. Rezko has been indicted on federal charges that accuse him of demanding kickbacks from companies seeking state business under Blagojevich.
3. Mayor Daley -- $55,950 Soon after Daley became mayor 18 years ago, Rezko's company, Rezmar Corp., got into the low-income housing business with the city. Rezmar ended up getting more than $25 million from the Daley administration to rehab buildings for affordable housing.
4. Sen. Barack Obama -- $54,416 Rezko has been friends with Obama for 17 years. As a lawyer at a small Chicago law firm, Obama worked on low-income housing deals involving Rezko's company. Rezko has been Obama's political patron since he ran for the Illinois Senate a dozen years ago. Obama has apologized for buying a piece of property from Rezko's wife last year to expand his yard.
5. Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan -- $43,000
6. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan -- $35,500 Madigan got those donations between 1998 and 2000 -- "ancient history,'' according to a Madigan spokesman.
7. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn -- $32,000 As state treasurer, Quinn appointed Rezko to serve on a state housing task force.
8. Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) -- $31,375 Rezko was the longtime head of Preckwinkle's campaign-finance committee. Six of Rezko's troubled housing projects were in Preckwinkle's ward.
9. Rep. Luis Gutierrez -- $27,250 Friends for more than 20 years. Gutierrez was working for then-Mayor Harold Washington when he met Rezko, at the time a top official with a company that had a Chicago Park District concession contract. As alderman, Gutierrez chaired the Chicago City Council Housing Committee that gave Rezko city property to redevelop into affordable housing. Four years ago, Gutierrez paid the lowest price for a riverfront town house in a Rezko development. The congressman sold it last year for a 40 percent profit.
10. John Schmidt -- $25,000 Mayor Daley's former chief of staff, who ran losing campaigns for attorney general and governor.
11. Secretary of State Jesse White -- $23,848
12. Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes -- $22,500
13. Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) -- $20,750 Most of Rezko's low-income buildings were in her ward. Rezko's contractor and his architect also rehabbed a building owned by Troutman's late father, Benjamin Troutman.
14. State Sen. James Meeks -- $20,000
15. Former Gov. Jim Edgar -- $18,804 Rezko "was very helpful'' raising money when Edgar was first elected governor in 1990, according to one of Edgar's top fund-raisers. While Edgar was governor, Rezko's company got $9.7 million in state loans to fix up apartments in Chicago.
| Politician | Totals |
| John Stroger, former Cook County Board President | $148,300 |
| Gov. Blagojevich | $117,652 |
| Mayor Daley | $55,950 |
| U.S. Sen. Barack Obama | $54,416 |
| Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan | $43,000 |
| Ill. House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago)+A20 | $35,500 |
| Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn | $32,000 |
| Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) | $31,375 |
| U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) | $27,250 |
| John Schmidt, former candidate for attorney general | $25,000 |
| Secretary of State Jesse White | $23,848 |
| State Comptroller Dan Hynes | $22,500 |
| Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) | $20,750 |
| State Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) | $20,000 |
| Rosemont Mayor Donald Stephens | $16,500 |
| Illinois Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) | $15,000 |
| Democratic National Committee Services Corp | $15,000 |
| Jack Lavin, director of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity | $13,393 |
| Illinois Democratic Party | $11,300 |
| Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) | $10,500 |
| Cook County Commissioner John Daley | $10,000 |
| Cook County State's Atty. Richard Devine | $10,000 |
| 1st Ward Regular Democratic Org | $9,000 |
| John Kerry, former Democratic presidential candidate | $8,250 |
| Jim Edgar, former Illinois governor | $7,304 |
| President George Bush | $7,000 |
| U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) | $6,000 |
| Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown | $6,000 |
| Cook County Circuit Court Judge William Haddad | $5,000 |
| Ald. Joe Moore (49th) | $5,000 |
| Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) | $4,800 |
| Ald. Ike Carothers (29th) | $4,500 |
| 47th Ward Regular Democratic Org. | $4,500 |
| Ald. Burt Natarus (42nd) | $3,800 |
| Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado | $3,500 |
| 14th Ward Ad Book | $3,250 |
| Cook County Board President Todd Stroger | $3,250 |
| Carol Moseley-Braun, former U.S. senator | $3,000 |
| Larry Bloom, former 5th Ward alderman | $2,575 |
| Illinois Victory 96 | $2,500 |
| 4th Ward Regular Democratic Org. | $2,000 |
| U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. | $2,000 |
| U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) | $2,000 |
| Bobbie Steele, former Cook County commissioner | $2,000 |
| U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) | $2,000 |
| Peter Fitzgerald, former U.S. senator | $2,000 |
| Ted Lechowicz, former Cook County commissioner | $1,500 |
| DuPage County State's Atty. Joseph Birkett | $1,500 |
| 17th Ward Regular Democratic Org. | $1,500 |
| 4th Congressional District State Central Committee | $1,500 |
| Alice Palmer, former state senator | $1,500 |
| Terry Peterson, former 17th Ward alderman | $1,000 |
| Ald. Madeline Haithcock (2nd) | $1,000 |
| Team Moreno | $1,000 |
| DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom | $1,000 |
| Ald. Manny Flores (1st) | $1,000 |
| 25th Ward Regular Democratic Org. | $1,000 |
| The Burnham Committee | $1,000 |
| Ald. Margaret Laurino (39th) | $1,000 |
| David Phelps, former state representative | $1,000 |
| Lauren Beth Gash, former state represenative | $1,000 |
| U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) | $1,000 |
| U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood (D-Ill.) | $1,000 |
| Al Gore, former vice president | $1,000 |
| Allan Streeter, former 17th Ward alderman | $1,000 |
| Ald. Gene Schulter (47th) | $1,000 |
| Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th) | $800 |
| 36th Ward Regular Democratic Org. | $600 |
| State Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago) | $500 |
| Mary Jane Manella, former legislative candidate | $500 |
| George Ryan, former Illinois governor | $500 |
| 16th Ward Regular Democratic Org. | $500 |
| Dan Rostenkowski, former congressman | $500 |
| Mexican American PAC | $400 |
| DuPage County Board member Mike McMahon | $400 |
| State Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa) | $300 |
| Ald. William Banks (36th) | $250 |
| National Republican Congressional Committee | $250 |
| Dean Maragos, former aldermanic candidate | $250 |
| State Rep. Karen Yarbrough (D-Maywood) | $100 |
| $888,813 |