The chief donor to a super political action committee airing ads on behalf of embattled Alabama Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore is a familiar name in Illinois political circles: Richard Uihlein.
The Lake Forest businessman has given $100,000 to the pro-Moore Proven Conservatives PAC since September.
Moore, now 70, has been accused of sexually molesting or assaulting teens ages 14 and 16 — and trying to date several others — while he was in his 30s. Moore has denied the allegations of misconduct and said he never dated “underage” women.
Moore is running in a Dec. 12 special election against Democrat Doug Jones to fill the vacancy created when President Donald Trump named Jeff Sessions attorney general. Trump has voiced opposition to Jones and noted that Moore “totally denies” the allegations, but on Monday the White House said the president will not campaign for Moore.
Federal election records show Uihlein first gave the pro-Moore PAC $50,000 on Sept. 8. That’s prior to The Washington Post’s Nov. 9 report on Moore, and prior to Moore defeating appointed Sen. Luther Strange in a runoff for the GOP nomination on Sept. 26. Uihlein gave the PAC another $50,000 on Nov. 22, after the allegations were raised. The Daily Beast first reported on the new pro-Moore super PAC filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Uihlein is CEO of Uline Inc., a distributor of shipping materials, and he has become a major conservative donor at the state and federal level. Uihlein’s state candidate contributions total more than $16.6 million since 1998, records at the State Board of Elections show.
One of the largest beneficiaries of Uihlein’s donations has been Dan Proft, the unsuccessful 2010 candidate for the Republican nomination for governor and current talk show host.
Uihlein gave Proft’s personal campaign committee $595,000. But he’s also given the Proft-run Liberty Principles PAC more than $9 million, including $2 million in September. The Liberty Principles PAC is running cable ads touting Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub’s primary campaign against House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs.
Uihlein also has been a big contributor to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, giving his campaign fund more than $2.6 million, state campaign finance records show.
Previously, Proft had used his various political operations to serve as a Rauner ally. But Proft is now backing three-term Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton against Rauner in the 2018 GOP governor primary. Uihlein has not donated any money to Ives’ fledgling governor campaign.
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