Cash-on-hand totals for statewide races
Governor: Democrat Ted Strickland, $7.7 million; Republican John Kasich, $5.7 million.
Secretary of state: Republican Sen. Jon Husted, $2.2 million; Democrat Maryellen O'Shaughnessy $459,007.
Attorney general: Democrat Richard Cordray, $3 million; Republican Mike DeWine, $1.2 million.
Auditor: Democrat David Pepper, $1.2 million; Republican Dave Yost, $37,694.
Treasurer: Democrat Kevin Boyce, $1 million; Republican Josh Mandel $2.5 million.
Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland maintains a $2 million campaign cash advantage over Republican challenger John Kasich as their campaign for governor enters its final five months, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday, June 11.
Strickland ended the reporting period — April 15 to June 4 — with about $7.7 million in the bank, compared to about $5.7 million for Kasich. The gap was about the same as it was when the last reports were filed on April 22.
Strickland raised about $1.31 million during the period, compared to about $1.28 million for Kasich, a former Columbus-area congressman.
Strickland has raised more than any incumbent governor in Ohio history at this point in the campaign — a total of $11.5 million — and is outpacing all other Democratic governors up for re-election across the country, his campaign said.
“With signs of an economic recovery on the horizon, Ohio simply cannot afford to elect a congressman from Wall Street for governor,” Aaron Pickrell, Strickland campaign manager, said in a press released, referring to Kasich’s former job as a managing director for Lehman Brothers.
Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman, shot back in his own statement: “We fully expect to be outspent ... given that what challengers can do pales against the fundraising potential of a desperate incumbent who has no qualms about pressuring lobbyists and businesses.”
Friday was the filing deadline both for local and statewide races.
Montgomery County
The Human Services Levy campaign raised $96,052, adding that to $133,803 left over from a prior campaign. The county is asking voters to approve a 6.03 mill replacement levy in November.
The largest contributions were $25,000 each from Monco Enterprises of Dayton and Clay Mathile of Dayton; $10,000 from Goodwill Industries of the Miami Valley and $5,000 each from Jerome F. Tatar of Kettering and the Miller Valentine Group of Dayton.
Greene County
Part-time County Probate Judge Mike Buckwalter spent nearly $30,000 in the race he won against Xenia acting Judge David Mesaros and County Magistrate Raymond Dundes in the GOP primary to succeed Common Pleas Judge J. Timothy Campbell. Buckwalter, who won with 64 percent of the vote, loaned himself $60,000.
Mesaros raised $3,425, loaned himself $15,000 and spend more than $10,000. Dundes had $10,389 brought forward from his last report, raised $2,100 and spend $8,000. Buckwalter will face Democrat Joe Graf in November.
Miami County
In the Republican race for county auditor, incumbent Matthew Gearhardt, the incumbent, spent $11,164 in his successful race against Tony Fessler of Pleasant Hill, who spent $7,842.
Warren County
In the Republican primary for the 7th Ohio Senate seat, Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Clearcreek Twp., raised $535,524, much of it from PACs, and spent $503,793, on her way to her primary night victory.
Her opponent, former state representative Michelle Schneider of Madeira, raised $232,502, mainly from individual contributors, and spent $399,770. Schneider loaned her campaign $193,000.
Jones will face Democrat Sam Pettinichi of Cincinnati in November, who raised $151 and spent $101 before the April filing deadline. Pettinichi did not file a report before Friday’s deadline.
Staff writers Mark Gokavi, Nancy Bowman and Eric Schwartzberg contributed to this report.
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