By: Josh Kraushaar

Both Congressional campaign committees will each be airing about $1 million worth of television advertisements for the upcoming special election to succeed former House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

The attack ads, airing on expensive broadcast television in Chicago, will begin running tonight and last until the special election on March 8.

The decision by the National Republican Congressional Committee to invest so much of their limited campaign cash in a solidly-Republican seat reflects the serious concerns they have at holding the exurban Chicago district.

The committee ended January with only $6.4 million in their campaign coffers — and expenditures in the special election will amount to nearly one-sixth of their entire cash-on-hand.

The race features two largely self-funded candidates, Republican dairy owner Jim Oberweis and Democratic scientist Bill Foster, who have dropped millions of their own personal finances into the special election.

Polling shows the race neck-and-neck, with Foster’s campaign releasing an internal poll this week showing him leading Oberweis by a four-point margin, 45 to 41 percent.

UPDATE:  And it’s not just the Congressional campaign committees that are airing advertisements in the special election.  The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will also be up with an advertisement on behalf of Foster’s campaign, which will begin airing Monday.

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