In all, the former Columbus-area congressman received $2.1 million from Ohio donors, with most concentrated in Central Ohio — $370,009 from Columbus-area ZIP codes beginning with 432 and $401,306 from Columbus-area ZIP codes beginning with 430.
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But Kasich also received $380,240 from the Cincinnati-area zip codes beginning in 452, and nearly half a million from two Cleveland-area communities.
As a comparison, Ohioans gave $886,575 to all Democratic presidential candidates combined, with the bulk — $750,600 — going to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Republican Ben Carson did the next-best among Ohio donors, raising $312,799, while Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, also a Republican, raised $301,225 from Ohioans, according to the analysis.
Ohioans gave the combined Republican presidential candidates $4.3 million, including $201,050 to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and $20,940 to billionaire Donald Trump.
Kasich’s haul came between July 21, when he launched his presidential campaign, and Sept. 30, the close of the last FEC reporting period. His later entry into the race may account for some of his fundraising lag.
He’s not alone in raising a ton from his home state. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for example, raised $2.2 million of his $4.2 million from his home state. But other candidates, including Bush, exhibited strong contribution totals from other states, reflecting a broader base of support. Of the $24.8 million Bush has raised, $4.7 million is from Florida, while he raised $2.9 million from New York and $2.5 million from California.
And Rubio raised $2.3 million of his $13.6 million in Florida, with $1 million from Texas and $2.2 million from California.
Senate campaigns often use home-state fundraising figures to argue that they have plenty of support back home, but presidential candidates get less of an advantage, said Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
In Kasich’s case, opponents could argue that the heavy percentage of dollars from his home state indicates he is not well-known outside of the state.
“It’s more of a sign of weakness than of strength,” Kondik said, adding that “Kasich is not a person who I think has a built-in national fundraising appeal.”
Still, the amount of money raised is more important than where it comes from, he said.
Beyond Ohio, Kasich raised $374,485 in California – his second highest-haul. He raised $133,279 in New York and $137,258 in Florida but only $14,376 in New Hampshire, the early presidential state where he has spent the bulk of his time. New Hampshire voters gave $202,652 to Clinton, $114,479 to Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and $51,825 to Bush.
Kasich has hovered in the bottom 10 candidates from both parties for fundraising, but some of that is caused by the fact that he was one of the last candidates to enter the race. Still, Kasich he is bolstered by two independent groups, New Day for America, which is spending money to support his bid.
Of the money he’s raised, Kasich has spent $2.7 million and had $2.6 million in the bank as of Sept. 30 — more in the bank than Christie, Graham and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
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