Ohio Secretary of State raises $1.75 million this election cycle


According to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has raised $1.75 million and spent $581,072 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Apr. 13, 2022. LaRose is currently ranked fifth in state-level donations in the 2022 election cycle.

LaRose is a member of the Republican Party and assumed office in 2019. In Ohio, the secretary of state is an elected position. Duties vary by state but are generally administrative in nature and may include recordkeeping, certification of state documents, and serving as chief election official. LaRose is running for reelection in 2022.

LaRose’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2017-2022)

Source: Transparency USA

Contributions to LaRose

Of the $1,747,725 already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 9.26 percent came from the top 10 donors.

Top Donors to LaRose (1/1/2021 – 4/13/2022)

RankTotal AmountDonor NameDonor Type
1.$39,116.78Orp PACENTITY
2.$15,000.00Susan B and James A Haslam IIIINDIVIDUAL
3.$13,704.41John PritzkerINDIVIDUAL
4.$13,704.41Reid Garrett HoffmanINDIVIDUAL
5.$13,700.00Adam A ThomariosINDIVIDUAL
6.$13,700.00Heather L WrightselINDIVIDUAL
7.$13,700.00Jason S LucarelliINDIVIDUAL
8.$13,700.00Thomas A LaroseINDIVIDUAL
9.$13,000.00Samuel R WaltonINDIVIDUAL
10.$12,500.00Thrive Companies PACENTITY

Expenditures by LaRose

On the expenditures side, LaRose reported $581,072, with 73.88 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping this list. 

Top Expenditures by LaRose (1/1/2021 – 4/13/2022)

RankTotal AmountPayee NamePayee Type
1.$100,000.00Strategic Media Placement IncENTITY
2.$84,417.28Dudley GroupENTITY
3.$70,500.00Red Brick StrategiesENTITY
4.$42,500.00Apx StrategiesENTITY
5.$35,286.67Right Digital LLCENTITY
6.$31,500.00Advictory LLCENTITY
7.$25,812.49Strategy Group for Media IncENTITY
8.$14,662.73Qwestcom Graphics IncENTITY
9.$12,615.24StripeENTITY
10.$12,000.00Fulcrum Campaign StrategiesENTITY

How donations to LaRose compare to the same office in other states

Contributions vary widely among officeholders in the same role. A number of factors, including whether the position is appointed or elected, can influence donor activity. Here is how LaRose compares to the 10 other state and commonwealth secretaries with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:

Across the U.S., 27 secretaries of state are members of the Republican Party and 20 are members of the Democratic Party. Voters elect the secretary of state in 35 states, while they are appointed by either the governor or state legislature in the other 12. Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah do not have secretaries of state. In 2022, 27 states are holding elections for the position.

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Ohio PACs submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.

Report NameReport Due Date
2021 Annual1/31/2022
2022 Pre-Primary4/21/2022
2022 Post-Primary6/10/2022
2022 Semiannual7/29/2022
2022 Pre-General10/27/2022
2022 Post-General12/16/2022

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.