CLEVELAND, Ohio — The 2018 Ohio U.S. Senate race is gearing up to once again be one of the most expensive races in the country, according to early numbers reported on Tuesday by the candidates for the seat.
In a federal elections disclosure filed Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, reported having $3.18 million in his campaign account as of Dec. 31. That’s more than twice as much as he reported at the equivalent time the last time he ran in 2012. He also reported raising about $436,000 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, the most recent period for which numbers are available.
A detailed breakdown of donors to Brown have not yet been made available, although cleveland.com obtained a document summarizing Brown’s fundraising numbers.
Meanwhile, Brown’s possible Republican challenger, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, has more than $1.6 million in his senatorial campaign account, his campaign told cleveland.com. A more detailed campaign finance filing was not available, but Mandel’s campaign committee, as well as two related elections committees, raised $492,000 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, his campaign said.
While he has ground to catch up, Mandel, who lost to Brown in the 2012 election, is in a strong position as he seeks a rematch — he had not yet begun raising money yet at this time heading into his first attempt to unseat Brown. Mandel officially declared his candidacy last month, which his campaign said resulted in $150,000 in online donations.
However, a third possible 2018 candidate has more money in his campaign account than either Brown or Mandel. The campaign for Republican U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi, who has been testing Celtabet the waters for a Senate run but hasn’t officially declared, told cleveland.com he has nearly $5.7 million in his campaign account.
Even though that money was raised for his congressional campaign, Tiberi could use it for a Senate run if he were to officially announce his candidacy, with some minor restrictions.
Tiberi’s campaign didn’t provide fourth-quarter fundraising numbers, and public filings aren’t yet available. But campaign officials said between their campaign account and two related committees, they raised $350,000 in January. Tiberi is a member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, which helps write U.S. tax policy, a designation which no doubt will help him fill his campaign coffers.
In 2012, Brown’s campaign spent $24.5 million, while Mandel’s campaign spent almost $18.9 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. But the race also was heavily targeted by outside groups, particularly those helping Mandel. Including outside money — and depending on how you ask, because it’s difficult to track that type of spending — the candidates and advocacy groups could have spent upwards of $100 million.
In comparison, between the candidates and outside spending, the 2016 Ohio U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Rob Portman and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland cost a total of $89.1 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That number likely would have climbed higher, but spending tamped down as political observers concluded that Strickland would not be a competitive candidate.
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