Sunday, December 16, 2012
By JESSICA WEHRMAN
Columbus Dispatch
WASHINGTON
Ohio’s political donors had a choice this year: Give their campaign money to one of the two presidential nominees or give it to newly empowered independent political organizations.
Given the option of Barack Obama, Mitt Romney or “super-PACs,” the super-PACs more than held their own.
Though Ohio donors gave nearly $8.5 million to Obama and $12.1 million to Romney this year, they kicked in $11.2 million to the so-called super-PACs set up in the aftermath of a court ruling that found that companies and unions could give an unlimited amount to benefit political candidates.
But even that figure isn’t accurate. It doesn’t include the sister organizations of super-PACs — often-affiliated 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organizations not required to disclose their donors. Those organizations, too, aired millions of dollars’ worth of ads, though according to federal regulations, they’re required to spend less than half their money for political purposes.
In all, super-PACs spent $634 million this election while the 501(c) groups spent $300.2 million, according to the Sunlight Foundation. That figure includes House, Senate and presidential races.
Donations included the small and straightforward — an interior designer from Harrison, Ohio, gave $5 to the National Right to Life Victory Fund in August, for example.
But they also included the mammoth and more mysterious.
Four days before Election Day, the Grove City-based Government Integrity Fund gave $500,000 to its sister super-PAC, the Government Integrity Fund Action Network. In all, the social- welfare organization donated $1.9 million to the super-PAC during the last election, with other contributors bringing the super-PAC’s coffers up to $2.5 million.
Much of that money was spent on ads attacking Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Avon, who defeated his challenger, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel. In all, outside groups spent more than $40 million on the race.