Campaign spending will break records

TOLEDO (AP) — Not even a recession or double-digit unemployment can slow down Ohio’s political fundraising machines.

Most campaign strategists expect that Democrats and Republicans will break campaign spending records this year in their bids for the governor’s office and an open U.S. Senate seat.

Not only are the two races at the top highly competitive and coveted, the candidates are well-known inside and outside Ohio and will be able to pull in money from donors nationwide.

Both campaigns will be among the most watched and well-funded nationally this year because Ohio is such a crucial swing state and both parties will want control heading into the 2012 presidential election.

In the U.S. Senate race to replace Republican George Voinoivch, former GOP congressman Rob Portman had more than $5.1 million in the bank by the end of September and Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher had amassed $1.6 million.

Both face primary challenges that will eat into their campaign funds.

GOP strategist Mark R. Weaver, who has run 30 statewide campaigns, said he expects spending in the Senate race to top them all because it will attract more money from beyond the state.

“Ohio has always been political ground zero in America,” he said.

The fundraising got rolling in earnest Tuesday with former President Bill Clinton headlining two events near Youngstown and Toledo that were expected to bring in at least $200,000 for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who is seeking a second term.

Republicans will counter in two weeks with former White House adviser Karl Rove who will visit northwest Ohio to raise money for the Lucas County Republican Party.

“It tells you what they think about Ohio, said Jerry Chabler, a longtime Democratic party insider who organized Clinton’s appearance in Toledo. Tickets ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 were in high demand, forcing the private event to move from a donor’s home to a social club.

Clinton’s fundraising help is a way of saying thanks for Strickland’s strong support for Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

The governor will need all the help he can get bringing in money because his GOP opponent John Kasich is well-known among conservatives. The former congressman is a commentator on Fox News and has worked on Wall Street.

“An incumbent governor has access to a lot of money, but Kasich is well connected so he can bring in nationally known figures to raise money,” said Alexander P. Lamis, who teaches political science at Case Western Reserve University. “It’s going to be a battle royale.”

Strickland did get a jump on Kasich in the first half of 2009, raising nearly $2.5 million. Kasich, who didn’t enter the race until June, brought in $516,000 through July.