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Challengers’ coffers trail those of the incumbents
By DAVID SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
Every incumbent member of Congress who represents the Mahoning and Shenango valleys has significantly more money in their campaign accounts than their challengers.
The three incumbents who represent the Mahoning Valley each raised more than $100,000 for their campaigns between April 15 and June 30, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, raised $192,410, with $112,484 coming from political-action committees, and spent $135,575 between April 15 and June 30. He received about 79 percent of the vote in the May 4 Democratic primary.
As of June 30, Ryan had $263,060 in his campaign account. That includes money his campaign carried over from the time before April 15.
Ryan’s two defeated primary challengers, Dan Moadus of Girard and Robert Crow of Youngstown, didn’t file reports with the FEC.
A congressional candidate needs to raise at least $5,000 before filing a campaign finance report with the FEC.
Ryan is financially well-positioned to face Jim Graham of Cortland, who won the Republican primary for the 17th District.
Graham raised only $9,862 between April 15 and June 30, and had $6,039 left in his campaign fund as of June 30. Graham received 72 percent of the vote in the Republican primary beating M.E. “Bing” Henderson of Tallmadge, who raised $3,480 between April and June and was left with $171 in his account as of the end of last month.
The district includes portions of Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage and Summit counties.
In the 6th District, U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, a Democrat from St. Clairsville, raised $125,984, including $91,750 from PACs, and spent only $29,473 between April 15 and June 30. He had $610,182 in his account, including carryover money, as of the latter date. Wilson beat Jim Renner of North Benton in the Democratic primary.
Wilson will face Bill Johnson of Poland, who won a three-man Republican primary with about 43 percent of the vote.
Johnson raised $161,831 between April 15 and June 30 — more than Wilson — but he spent $76,542 during that same time. He had $147,612 in his campaign account, including carryover money, as of June 30.
Johnson defeated Donald K. Allen of Boardman in the Republican primary by about 5 percentage points even though Allen raised only $12,277, including $5,067 of his own money, between April 15 and June 30.
The 12-county 6th District includes all of Columbiana and a portion of Mahoning.
In the 14th District, U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette of Bainbridge ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Even so, he raised $281,460, including $119,650 from PACs, between April 15 and June 30. LaTourette had $653,149 in his account as of June 30.
On the Democratic side, only Bill O’Neill, who won the three-man primary, filed a report with the FEC. O’Neill, of Chagrin Falls, who lost the 2008 congressional race to LaTourette, raised $64,232 between April 15 and June 30 and had $30,633 in his campaign fund as of June 30. The 14th District includes seven northern townships in Trumbull County.
In Pennsylvania, U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire of McCandless, D-4th, ran unopposed in his party’s May 18 primary. He raised $295,283 between April 29 and June 30, and had $1,466,074 in his campaign fund as of the end of last month.
In comparison, Keith Rothfus, an attorney from Edgeworth, who won a two-person Republican primary for the 4th District, raised $284,381, including a $25,000 loan he gave his campaign, between April 29 and June 30. He had $201,681 in his campaign account as of the latter date.
The district includes all of Lawrence County and a portion of Mercer County.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper of Erie, D-3rd, who beat a challenger in her party’s primary, raised $308,768 between April 29 and June 30 with $1,014,736 in her fund as of the end of last month.
Mike Kelly, a car dealer from Butler, received about 28 percent of the vote, narrowly winning a six-person Republican primary for the 3rd District.
He raised $299,614, including a $250,000 personal loan to his campaign, between April 29 and June 30. He had $103,508 as of June 30. The district includes a portion of Mercer County.