Gov. Mike DeWine and other Ohio Republicans flush with campaign cash headed into general

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine received $2 million in campaign donations over the past three months, giving him $7 million to use in his re-election bid this November.

DeWine has a sizable campaign war chest despite spending $3.1 million as he fought through the May primary election, defeating three Republican challengers. The $2 million he raised, while the most by far of any statewide candidate, still was roughly $1 million lower than whatt he raised during the equivalent period in 2018, when he first ran for governor.

Meanwhile, DeWine’s Democratic opponent, former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley, reported raising $1 million. She spent $528,000 in a her own primary election, which she easily won against former Cincinnati mayor John Cranley. That left her with $728,000 in her campaign account. But that number is offset by $341,800 she owes to campaign vendors.

DeWine and Whaley reported the totals on Friday, ahead of the campaign-finance deadline for candidates for state office in this year’s elections. All figures refer to campaign financial activity since mid-April. State legislative candidates didn’t report anything, since their primary election got postponed until August over redistricting delays.

Donors who gave DeWine the maximum $13,704 include Relators PAC, which represents real-estate agents, former Republican congressman Pat Tiberi, who has money left over in his congressional campaign account but now runs a major business trade association and Ohio Contractors PAC.

Whaley’s big donors included U.S. Savings Bank CEO Louis Beck, who gave $13,900, America Works State & Local PAC, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown’s leadership PAC, which gave $13,704 and Emily’s List, which supports abortion rights and gave Whaley $13,704.

Including DeWine, Republican candidates for statewide office generally will have a huge cash advantage heading into the general election in November. For example, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, reported having $1.9 million in his campaign bank account after raising $321,500. His Democratic opponent, Chelsea Clark, a city councilwoman from suburban Cincinnati, reported raising just $26,100 with a cash balance of $34,800.

And in the race for state attorney general, Republican incumbent Dave Yost reported raising $152,000 but has $2.3 million in the bank, compared to his Democratic opponent, Parma State Rep. Jeff Crossman, who raised $54,200 and has $129,7000 in cash.

Republicans also have financial advantages in races for three seats up for grabs on the Ohio Supreme Court, including the race to replace retiring Republican Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, although the GOP edge there is not nearly as stark.

In the race for chief justice, Republican Justice Sharon Kennedy reported raising $186,6000 and has $812,000 in cash on hand, compared to Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner, who raised $147,000 and has $400,200.

Republican Justice Pat DeWine, who’s running for re-election, reported raising $174,400 and has $600,000 in cash. Meanwhile, his Democratic challenger, Cincinnati state appellate Judge Marilyn Zayas, raised $102,300 and has $168,000 in cash.

And another Republican running for re-election, Justice Pat Fischer reported raising $106,000 with $276,300 in cash, compared to his Democratic challenger, state appellate Judge Terri Jamison, who raised $126,000 and has $106,000 in cash.

Millions of dollars in outside money also is expected to eventually be spent in the Supreme Court races, so candidate fundraising may not offer a total picture.

Major donors to the Republican justices include the Ohio State Medical Association, a trade association for doctors which gave $7,500 each to Kennedy, DeWine and Fischer, and the Westfield Employee Federal PAC, which is associated with Farmers Insurance and gave $6,000 each to all three Republican Supreme Court candidates.

Major donors to the Democratic judicial candidates, meanwhile, included the United Food and Commercial Workers International, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, which gave Jamison, Zayas and Justice Jennifer Brunner $7,500 each. Matriots PAC, a Columbus organization that backs women candidates who support abortion rights, gave Brunner, Jamison and Zayas each $6,500.

Some of the reports posted Friday come from candidates who were vanquished in the May primary.

That includes Jim Renacci, the former Wadsworth congressman who finished second in the Republican primary for governor, losing to DeWine by 20 percentage points.

Renacci reported spending almost $4 million — with his largest expenses including advertisement and marketing — leaving him with just $11,600 left over following the election. Renacci loaned his campaign $4.5 million, showing he followed through on his pledge to actually spend his personal wealth on his campaign after he largely avoided doing so when he ran and lost for U.S. Senate in 2018.

Joe Blystone, a Central Ohio farmer who finished third in the governor’s race after running an unconventional, far-right campaign, reported still having $175,700 in the bank after spending $51,500. His biggest expenses included $13,000 on legal services — he faces a thicket of alleged campaign-finance violations — and $10,000 he paid to rent an RV owned by his company, Blystone Farms, LLC.

Cranley, the former Cincinnati mayor whom Whaley defeated in the May primary, reported having $26,000 left over in his campaign fund after he spent about $452,000 on his race.