Wilson lends $55K to his own campaign

By David Skolnick | July 17, 2012 at 12:02a.m.

Wilson

YOUNGSTOWN

For ex-U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson to remain financially competitive with the Republican incumbent in the 6th Congressional District race, he continues to contribute his own money to his campaign.

Wilson, a Democrat from St. Clairsville, loaned $50,000 to his campaign and paid $5,250 for the rent on his campaign office and campaign apartment, all on June 30, according to campaign- finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission for financial activity between April 1 and June 30.

During those three months, Wilson raised $234,655, including the $55,250 he gave his campaign. The rest of the money is almost evenly split 50/50 between individual donors, $90,181, and political action committees, $89,224.

In comparison, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, the Republican incumbent from Marietta, raised $277,790 during the year’s second quarter with none of it from the candidate. Johnson received $161,497 from individuals and $116,291 from PACs, with $2 in bank-account interest.

The two will face off during the Nov. 6 general election, a rematch of the 2010 race in which Johnson, who had never run for office, defeated Wilson, a two-term incumbent.

Overall, Wilson has contributed $283,750 of his own money to the $766,199 his campaign has raised during this election cycle as of June 30. That’s 37 percent of the campaign’s money coming from the candidate.

Johnson raised $1,490,614 as of June 30 for his re-election in the 17-county 6th District which includes all of Columbiana County and southern Mahoning County.

“These numbers have to be disappointing for” Wilson, said Rachel Jacobs, Johnson’s campaign manager.

Also, Johnson had $930,021 in his campaign account as of June 30 compared with $502,116 for Wilson. Because of loans from past elections, Wilson’s campaign owes $466,650 to the candidate. Johnson’s campaign owes him $15,000 for a loan he gave it Jan. 3, 2011.

“It must be especially frustrating [to Wilson] that donors aren’t supporting his vision of more government intrusion into their lives,” Jacobs said.

J.R. Starrett, Wilson’s campaign manager, said the $689,347 Johnson has received from PACs for this election shows that he “is beholden to Washington, D.C.,” and that national Republican leaders “are worried about losing their rubber stamp Bill Johnson, and they will do anything to keep his vote.”

The contributions, Starrett said, are Johnson “being rewarded for voting against the interests of his own constituents” on issues such as trade agreements, and a budget that would change Medicare as we know it.

“Congressman Johnson would rather collect funds from Washington special interests than stand up for the out-of-work constituents at home,” Starrett said.

Wilson’s campaign received $12,000 from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi PAC and her congressional campaign, including $5,000 on June 29. Pelosi, through PAC to the Future and her personal campaign fund, is one of Wilson’s major contributors.

“Charlie Wilson is in Nancy Pelosi’s pocketbook,” said Mark Weaver, a Johnson spokesman. “It’s fair to say Charlie Wilson’s political vital signs are very weak right now and most of his money is coming from him and his Capitol Hill friends.”

Jacobs added that Wilson has reserved $700,000 in television commercial time, including $328,410 in the Youngstown area, when he has almost as much debt as he has money in his campaign account.

“That’s the same kind of math that led him to support the [President Barack] Obama/Pelosi agenda resulting in the waste of millions in taxpayer dollars through the so-called stimulus program and a dramatic increase in our crippling national debt,” she said.

In response, Starrett said Johnson’s campaign has received $21,200 from Speaker of the House John Boehner and $6,000 from “controversial Tea-party supporters” Charles and David Koch.

In the new 13th District, incumbent U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Niles, holds a significant financial lead over Marisha Agana of Howland, his Republican challenger.

Ryan raised $80,037 to $4,719 for Agana between April 1 and June 30. Overall for this campaign, Ryan has raised $736,728 to $29,863 for Agana.

Also as of June 30, Ryan had $232,568 in his campaign fund to $4,224 for Agana.

The new 13th largely consists of the current 17th District, including most of Mahoning and Trumbull counties.