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These are the most expensive contested elections in the Ohio Senate

By Kalyn Stralow
In State
October 23, 2022 at 3:07 PM

Elections for 17 of 33 seats in the Ohio State Senate will take place on Nov. 8, 2022. Republicans hold a 25-8 majority heading into the election.

This article details the five most expensive contested general elections in the State Senate.

This information comes from candidate reports to the Ohio Secretary of State covering the period of Jan. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

Five general elections with the most fundraising

#1 District 27 – $384,881

Incumbent Kristina Daley Roegner (R) raised $347,245 and Patricia Goetz (D) raised $37,636.

#2 District 17 – $253,738

Shane Wilkin (R) raised $250,761 and Garry Boone (D) raised $2,977.

#3 District 23 – $250,995

Incumbent Nickie Antonio (D) raised $250,995 and Landry Simmons Jr. (R) raised $0.

#4 District 13 – $239,980

Incumbent Nathan Manning (R) raised $220,867 and Anthony Eliopoulos (D) raised $19,112.

#5 District 33 – $205,624

Incumbent Michael Rulli (R) raised $205,624 and Bob Hagan (D) raised $0.The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Ohio PACs submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. Political expenditures that are not controlled by candidates or their campaigns, known as satellite spending, are not included in candidate totals. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies.

Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. Data from additional reports due in between the deadlines below are published along with the reports listed here.

Report Name Report Due Date
2021 Annual 1/31/2022
2022 Pre-Primary 4/21/2022
2022 Post-Primary 6/10/2022
2022 Semiannual 7/29/2022
2022 Pre-General 10/27/2022
2022 Post-General 12/16/2022

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.



These are the most expensive contested elections in the Ohio House

By Kalyn Stralow
In State
October 23, 2022 at 3:07 PM

Elections for all 99 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives will take place on Nov. 8, 2022. Republicans hold a 64-35 majority heading into the election.

This article details the five most expensive contested general elections in the House of Representatives.

This information comes from candidate reports to the Ohio Secretary of State covering the period of Jan. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

Five general elections with the most fundraising

#1 District 94 – $478,558

Incumbent Jay Edwards (R) raised $478,558 and Rhyan Goodman (D) raised $0.

#2 District 17 – $428,714

Incumbent Thomas Patton (R) raised $428,614 and Troy Greenfield (D) raised $100.

#3 District 89 – $322,852

Incumbent D.J. Swearingen (R) raised $138,556 and Jim Obergefell (D) raised $184,296.

#4 District 35 – $314,952

Steve Demetriou (R) raised $314,952 and Lori O’Neill (D) raised $0.

#5 District 39 – $304,187

Incumbent Phil Plummer (R) raised $304,187 and Leronda Jackson (D) raised $0.

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Ohio PACs submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. Political expenditures that are not controlled by candidates or their campaigns, known as satellite spending, are not included in candidate totals. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies.

Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. Data from additional reports due in between the deadlines below are published along with the reports listed here.

Report Name Report Due Date
2021 Annual 1/31/2022
2022 Pre-Primary 4/21/2022
2022 Post-Primary 6/10/2022
2022 Semiannual 7/29/2022
2022 Pre-General 10/27/2022
2022 Post-General 12/16/2022

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.



All candidates for Ohio House of Representatives District 19 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
October 14, 2022 at 11:19 AM

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 19 — incumbent Phil Robinson (D) and Ron Brough (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. 

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Ohio’s state legislature. Ohio is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?            

Nowicki:       

“As the ranking member of the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee and Senior Executive of a national education nonprofit, I am passionate about investing in and improving Ohio schools, ensuring every child has access to a high quality education.”

Brough:       

“I’m passionate about giving individuals the right to Govern themselves so they can reach their God-given potential.”

Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:



All candidates for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Ohio complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
October 14, 2022 at 10:11 AM

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Ohio — Jessica Barwell and Julie Lynch — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. 

According to the Franklin County Courts website, the Court of Common Pleas General Division has “original jurisdictional authority over all felony cases and all civil cases in which the sum or matter in dispute exceeds $15,000.”

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? 

Barwell:

“I believe in ‘Blindfold Justice’ for everyone that will enter my courtroom. I believe that all persons accused of a crime in my courtroom will receive fair justice regardless of who is representing them, their socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and most importantly, their race.”   

Lynch:   

“Safety of my community. The gun violence is out of control. Young adults have easy access to firearms and that is leading to so many deaths and assaults. I am passionate about finding a way out of this gun violence culture that is so prevalent in our community.”

Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:



Emilia Sykes (D), Madison Gesiotto Gilbert (R) running in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District

By Ellen Morrissey
In 2022 elections
October 13, 2022 at 11:58 AM

Emilia Sykes (D) and Madison Gesiotto Gilbert (R) are running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. Tim Ryan (D) did not run for re-election but for U.S. Senate in Ohio.

Spectrum News‘ Taylor Popielarz wrote, “Tim Ryan’s decision to run for Senate created a rare open seat and a very competitive race.” After 2020 redistricting, the 13th District—which race forecasters rated as Solid Democratic in 2020—is more Republican in 2022. According to FiveThirtyEight, the new 13th District has an R+2 lean, while the old district was even, meaning neither party had an advantage.

Popielarz wrote, “The [old] 13th District included the Mahoning Valley for the last decade, stretching from Trumbull and Mahoning counties west to Summit County. […] The new 13th that emerged from redistricting is quite different. It includes half of Stark County and all of Summit County.”

Sykes has served in the Ohio House of Representatives since 2015 and served as minority leader from 2019 to 2021. Before being elected to the state house, Sykes worked as an administrative staff advisor at the Summit County Fiscal Office and as a law clerk at a U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Sykes said in a campaign ad, “The other side […] are hoping you’ll forget that I worked with both parties to raise pay, keep us safe, and cut taxes. And they definitely don’t want you to know that I have a plan to lower costs and keep more money in your pockets.”

Gilbert is a small business owner, attorney, and television commentator. She also worked on Donald Trump’s (R) 2016 presidential election campaign as a national surrogate, among other roles, and on Trump’s 2020 campaign as an advisory board member. In an interview with Spectrum News, Gilbert said, “I’m the only candidate in this race that’s talking about the common sense solutions on these issues when it comes to inflation, it comes to energy crisis, it comes to the prices from the gas pump to the grocery store.”

The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 House districts are up for election. As of October 10, 2022, Democrats held a 220-212 majority in the U.S. House with three vacancies Republicans need to gain a net of six districts to win a majority in the chamber.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 50.7% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 47.9%.



Ohio Gov. DeWine receives $15 million, with Ohio Republican State Central & Executive State Candidate Fund as top donor

By Kalyn Stralow
In State
October 10, 2022 at 10:20 AM

Editor’s Note: This article incorrectly listed the Ohio Republican Party as a top donor to Gov. Mike DeWine, with donations totally more than $520,000. Those donations should have been attributed to the Ohio Republican State Central & Executive State Candidate Fund.

In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. According to campaign finance reports made to the Ohio Secretary of State, the governor received $15,081,386 in total contributions and spent $6,800,936 between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. DeWine is running for re-election in 2022.

Gov. DeWine is a member of the Republican Party and first assumed office in 2019.

Contributions to Gov. DeWine

Of the $15 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 18.3 percent came from the top 10 donors.

Top Donors to Gov. DeWine (1/1/2021 – 6/30/2022)

RankTotal AmountDonor NameDonor Type
1.$1,959,075.31Ohio Republican State Central & Executive Committee State Candidate FundENTITY
2.$520,784.33Ohio Republican PACENTITY
3.$44,804.41John A PayiavlasINDIVIDUAL
4.$37,825.80Leslie MillerINDIVIDUAL
5.$35,650.00Eric WagenbrennerINDIVIDUAL
6.$35,000.00Mandi and Brian YeagerINDIVIDUAL
7.$33,000.00Sheet Metal Workers Local 33 Akron District CopeENTITY
8.$32,699.59Barbara J SiemerINDIVIDUAL
9.$32,404.41Dean KereiakesINDIVIDUAL
10.$30,608.82George A SkestosINDIVIDUAL

Expenditures by Gov. DeWine

On the expenditures side, Gov. DeWine reported $6.8 million with 93.8 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. 

Top Expenditures by Gov. DeWine (1/1/2021 – 6/30/2022)

RankTotal AmountPayee NamePayee Type
1.$4,906,585.88SRCP Media IncENTITY
2.$603,276.00Arena OnlineENTITY
3.$323,568.22Tarrance GroupENTITY
4.$150,000.00Deep Root Analytics LLCENTITY
5.$130,473.37Ohio Alliance of Boys and Girls ClubsENTITY
6.$98,851.76Dot the I Design and GraphicsENTITY
7.$52,381.97StripeENTITY
8.$48,000.00America Rising CorpENTITY
9.$39,581.47Kessler CreativeENTITY
10.$31,794.10ColorartENTITY

How Gov. DeWine’s fundraising compares to other governors

Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. A number of factors, including whether an incumbent officeholder is running for reelection, influence donor activity. Here is how fundraising by Ohio Gov. DeWine compares to the 10 other governors with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:

Fundraising reported by 11 U.S. governors in the 2022 election cycle

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.

Name of ReportReporting PeriodDeadline
2021 Annual1/1/21 – 12/31/221/31/2022
2022 Pre-Primary1/1/22 – 4/13/224/21/2022
2022 Post-Primary1/1/22 -6/3/226/10/2022
2022 Semiannual1/1/22 – 6/30/227/29/2022
2022 Pre-General1/1/22 – 10/19/2210/27/2022
2022 Post- General1/1/22 – 12/9/2212/16/2022
2022 Annual1/1/22 – 12/31/221/31/2022

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.



The top 10 Ohio candidates raised 58 percent of all donations

By Kalyn Stralow
In State
October 6, 2022 at 2:49 PM

In Ohio politics, state-level candidates and officeholders raised $60.4 million between Jan. 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. More than $35.1 million, or 58 percent, of all donations reported by candidate committees were raised by the 10 individuals at the top of the list.

Top 10 Ohio candidates (1/1/2021 – 6/30/2022)

Here are the 10 Ohio candidates and officeholders who have raised the most money so far in the 2022 election cycle, according to campaign finance reports submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State:

Rank Candidate/Officeholder Name Total Donations
1 Richard Michael DeWine $15,081,386
2 Nan Whaley $5,633,614
3 John Cranley $2,911,758
4 David Yost $2,553,560
5 Frank Larose $2,454,386
6 Keith Faber $1,488,014
7 James Renacci $1,411,519
8 Sharon Kennedy $1,352,542
9 Matthew Huffman $1,186,839
10 Pat Dewine $1,039,048

The list of Ohio candidates and officeholders includes anyone with a candidate PAC that filed campaign finance reports during this time period, which may include former candidates or current officeholders who are not running in this cycle. PACs not associated with a candidate are not included in the values above.

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Ohio PACs submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. Political expenditures that are not controlled by candidates or their campaigns, known as satellite spending, are not included in candidate totals. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies.

Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. Data from additional reports due in between the deadlines below are published along with the reports listed here.

Report Name Report Due Date
2021 Annual 1/31/2022
2022 Pre-Primary 4/21/2022
2022 Post-Primary 6/10/2022
2022 Semiannual 7/29/2022
2022 Pre-General 10/27/2022
2022 Post-General 12/16/2022

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.



All candidates for Ohio House of Representatives District 56 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
October 3, 2022 at 4:01 PM

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 56 — Joy Bennett (D) and Adam Mathews (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Ohio’s state legislature. Ohio is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta government.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?            

Bennett:           

“Human rights for all. I am committed to protecting the basic human rights of women and historically oppressed people by enacting laws that guarantee our freedom and equal standing in our homes, communities, and under the law, and blocking laws that strip us of our rights and bodily autonomy. Human rights also include access to quality education, living wages, dignified work, and healthcare.”

Mathews:       

“Pro-Liberty Adam believes the government should be bound by our Constitutions and laws. We need to strengthen the State Legislature against overreach, especially when it interferes with our schools, businesses, and daily lives. Decision-making should be as local as possible, ideally down to the individual and municipal levels.”

Click on candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:



Chabot, Landsman running in general election for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District

By Samuel Wonacott
In 2022 elections
September 28, 2022 at 11:05 AM

Incumbent Steve Chabot (R) and Greg Landsman (D) are running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District.

The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Scott Wartman wrote, “a change in district boundaries through redistricting has given Democrats a slight edge in numbers for what had been a reliably Republican district over the last decade.” Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 53.5% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 45.0%. According to Cleveland.com’s Sabrina Eaton, “The new configuration of the district Chabot represents includes all of Cincinnati, its eastern Hamilton County suburbs and all of Warren County.”

Chabot was first elected to represent the 1st Congressional District in 1994. He lost his 2008 re-election bid but was elected again in 2010. Chabot said, “Nancy Pelosi’s policies, along with the Biden administration, have done a lot of damage to the country. We need to fix that damage. We need to reverse a lot of things.” Chabot said his top goals are “improving the economy and reducing inflation and keeping taxes as low as possible.” Chabot said, “I actually reach out to Democrats, even though I’m a Republican and a conservative Republican at that. The best way to get things done in Congress is to reach across the aisle. And when I offer legislation, I almost always get a Democrat to be a lead sponsor with me.”

Landsman is a member of the Cincinnati City Council, a position to which he was first elected in 2017. Before joining the city council, Landsman was the executive director of the StrivePartnership. Landsman said, “the opportunity in this election is not just to have somebody who’s going to vote to protect our democracy, who’s going to end this chaos, who’s going to codify Roe, but somebody who’s going to not just vote with them and for their interests, but also who’s there all the time, in their neighborhoods, working on their issues.” Landsman has campaigned on reducing inflation and raising the minimum wage, strengthening labor union laws, and supporting the “codification of the rights afforded by Roe v. Wade on the federal level.”

In a campaign ad, Chabot said Landsman “not only worked for Nancy Pelosi, he supports more of her tax-and-spend agenda.” Landsman said, “we can no longer be represented by someone who voted against relief checks for families, voted against rebuilding the Brent Spence Bridge, voted against funding to reopen schools and support for frontline workers, and voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election.”

The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 districts in the House are up for election. As of September 20, 2022, Democrats hold a 221-212 advantage in the U.S. House with two vacancies. 



All candidates for Ohio House of Representatives District 14 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
September 28, 2022 at 10:37 AM

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 14 — Sean Brennan (D) and Jolene Austin (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Ohio’s state legislature. Ohio is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?            

Brennan:           

“My focus has been and will continue to be on supporting public education, the right of workers to organize, bolstering local government funding, fiscal responsibility, building the best safety forces, improving infrastructure, adding amenities, beautification, and attracting businesses to the area.”

Austin:           

“The over inflated taxes we our paying on our homes is pushing people to sell and leave their beloved community. The amount of levies and bonds we are forced to pay every election cycle is out of control. Wasted tax dollars on bills full of earmarks is leaving little to actually help us residents.”

Click on candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

  1. Sean Brennan
  2. Jolene Austin

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:

Ohio House of Representatives election, 2022