Glen Ellyn Republican Niki Conforti ended September with less than $18,000 in her campaign account as she challenges U.S. Rep. Sean Casten for the 6th Congressional District seat.

Casten, a Downers Grove Democrat, finished the same quarter with more than $1.2 million on hand, according to federal campaign finance records first reported by the Daily Herald's Russell Lissau. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Conforti's FEC filing, covering July 1 through Sept. 30, shows her campaign raised $33,179 in contributions and spent $37,935 in operating expenditures. She started the quarter with $22,661 and closed it with $17,956. The campaign reported zero debts and received no money from political party committees. Just $750 came from political action committees. The rest, $32,429, came from individual donors.

Casten raised about $363,000 and spent nearly $408,000 during the same period, the Daily Herald reported. His campaign carried nearly $456,000 in debts to the candidate dating to 2017.

The gap leaves Conforti with a fraction of the resources available for TV ads, mailers and polling in the final stretch. A College of DuPage political science professor, Melissa Mouritsen, told the Daily Herald that Republican donors view Chicago-area congressional races as poor investments given Illinois' map and the national party's need to defend seats elsewhere.

"They do not have the bandwidth to come for these seats when they are such a long shot anyway," Mouritsen said.

Conforti describes herself as a single mother who has worked as an energy consultant for nine years, according to her candidate questionnaire responses. She previously spent 12 years in large healthcare systems, including time as a director at Presence, now Ascension, where she said she worked with general counsel to create corporate policy. She has also owned a small staffing firm.

On energy policy, Conforti said in her questionnaire that she would support legislation to streamline domestic energy production by cutting federal regulations and limiting renewable energy mandates. She said the approach would lower residential electric and gas bills.

Conforti wrote on X on Oct. 24 that she had spent the day canvassing for Republican candidates ahead of the election.

The 6th District covers parts of DuPage and Cook counties.