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U.S. Sen. Rob Portman sets fundraising record
YOUNGSTOWN
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican seeking re-election, raised $2.1 million in the final three months of 2015, ending last year collecting $9.8 million, an Ohio political fundraising record for off-election years.
“Raising nearly $10 million in an off-year is not only a record in Ohio, it is a testament to the strong support for Rob,” said Corry Bliss, Portman’s Senate campaign manager. “In the same period, campaign volunteers also contacted a record 1 million targeted voters through our door and phone program, demonstrating the tremendous grass-roots strength behind Rob.”
The previous state record was Gov. John Kasich in 2013 when his campaign raised $6.45 million.
Portman has more than $12 million in his campaign fund.
Portman’s campaign announced the 2015 fourth-quarter figures Wednesday.
Congressional candidates have until Jan. 31 to submit campaign-finance reports for October to December 2015, but those running in the Senate race have announced the numbers before those deadlines.
Portman will face the winner of the March 15 Democratic primary between ex-Gov. Ted Strickland and Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld.
There hasn’t been a public poll of this Senate race since October, but that showed Strickland ahead of Portman by 3 percentage points, and Portman beating Sittenfeld by 22 percentage points with a 2.9 percent margin of error.
The two Democrats are expected to provide their fundraising totals shortly, but both greatly lag behind Portman, one of the Senate’s strongest fundraisers.
As of Sept. 30, Strickland had raised $2,679,617 with $1,519,392 in his campaign fund. At that last reporting date, Sittenfeld’s campaign had raised $1,251,582 with $784,077 in his campaign fund. Sittenfeld struggled in the second and third quarters of 2015 to raise money, collecting $500,983 over those six months.
New Leadership for Ohio, a Super PAC (political action committee) supporting Sittenfeld’s candidacy, however, raised $735,001 between Sept. 15, when it was formed, and Dec. 31.
“The substantial amount of money we’ve been able to raise over just the past few months demonstrates that Ohio Democrats want new leaders with new ideas, not the same tired politicians,” said Paul DeMarco, a Cincinnati attorney who heads the PAC.