CHICAGO (AP) – Crain’s Chicago Business reports that a company once partially owned by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner started making campaign contributions to Illinois Democrats just after it won a multi-million-dollar Cook County contract.

In 2000, the Cook County Board approved a deal with HealthRev Inc. to collect Medicaid bills. County records show HealthRev was paid $8.8 million. HealthRev was owned until 2004 by GTCR LLC, a firm partially owned by Rauner.

State records obtained by Crain’s show that just after the deal was approved the company made the first of $8,000 in contributions to then-Cook County President John Stroger’s campaign and a related account.

The company gave $5,000 more to House Speaker Michael Madigan.

A Rauner spokesman says Rauner had no knowledge of the contributions.

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