Wilson has spent $1 million

The largest expense was for TV and radio advertisements.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- State Sen. Charlie Wilson has spent more than $1 million in his bid to win the 6th Congressional District seat.
As of June 30, Wilson, a St. Clairsville Democrat, spent $1.02 million, including $552,709 of his own money. Of the amount Wilson gave to his campaign, $45,209 was loaned on June 30, the final day of the latest reporting period.
Most of Wilson's expenses were before his May 2 primary victory as a write-in candidate.
Wilson will face state Rep. Chuck Blasdel, an East Liverpool Republican, in the Nov. 7 general election. Candidates have until the end of the day today to file financial reports for the time frame between April 13 and June 30. Blasdel plans to file his report today, his campaign said. Wilson filed his report Friday with the Federal Election Commission.
About half of Wilson's expenses, $511,073 to be exact, came during the April 13 to June 30 period.
During that time, Wilson paid more than $85,000 to Mission Control Inc. of Manchester, Conn., for political consulting.
He paid $217,000 to Buying Time of Washington, D.C., for advertisement purchases, $14,785 to Cooper & amp; Secrest Associates of Alexandria, Va., also for political consulting, and $14,591 to Jason Burke, who served as his campaign manager until he resigned last week.
Wilson's congressional campaign had $290,442 as of June 30. Without Wilson's loans, the campaign would have a deficit.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan's campaign fund contributed $125 to $2,000 to 23 candidates in seven states in less than three months.
Ryan's congressional campaign filed a financial report Friday.
Contributions
Ryan, a Niles Democrat, is seeking his third two-year term in the Nov. 7 general election. Don Manning, a Cortland Republican, is challenging him. Candidates who don't raise and/or spend $5,000 didn't have to file this campaign report.
Ryan went into April 13 with $186,991 in his congressional campaign fund, and ended June 30 with $183,523. During that time, Ryan raised $72,067, and spent $75,535.
Ryan's largest single expense was $12,961 to Fraioli and Associates, a Washington, D.C., firm that serves as his campaign treasurer and fundraising consultant. The payment to Fraioli is traditionally the largest expense on each of Ryan's financial disclosure reports.
Ryan also contributed $10,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in two $5,000 payments, one on May 1 and the other on June 1.
Ryan also gave about $17,000 to 23 candidates.
At the top of the list is $2,000 to Struthers Councilman Dan Yemma, who lost the May Democratic primary for the 60th Ohio House District to state Sen. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown.
Ryan contributed the money on June 22, nearly seven weeks after Yemma finished second in the primary. Yemma's campaign fund had $2,500 in outstanding loans and $6,253 in outstanding debt as of June 2.
Ryan gave $1,000 to state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, the Democratic attorney general candidate; $500 to Jennifer Brunner of Columbus, the party's secretary of state candidate; and $500 to Barbara Sykes of Akron, the party's auditor candidate.
Other contributions
Ryan also contributed $400 to Niles Councilman Frank Fuda, who is running for Trumbull County commissioner as the Democratic nominee in November, and $500 to Karen Infante Allen of Niles, Trumbull County's clerk of courts who isn't up for re-election for another two years.
Ryan gave $300 to Mark Belinky of Boardman, a 2004 failed Mahoning County commissioner candidate. Belinky said he spent about $37,000 of his own money to the campaign.
"Tim asked me if I still had a big debt, and I said, 'Yes,'" Belinky said. "I was surprised and pleased with the contribution."
Ryan's campaign also provided money to members of Congress and congressional candidates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas, Connecticut, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Beginning in May, Ryan paid his brother, Allen L. Ryan, $2,000 a month for "campaign management consulting." Ryan's brother has been the campaign manager of all his political races.
skolnick@vindy.com