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A Cincinnati councilman running for the U.S. Senate struggles to raise money for his campaign
YOUNGSTOWN
Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, continues to struggle with fundraising, collecting $235,135 in the final three months of 2015.
For all of last year, Sittenfeld raised $1,486,717 with more than half raised in the first three months of 2015. His campaign contributions largely dried up shortly after ex-Gov. Ted Strickland publicly announced his Democratic candidacy for the seat Feb. 25, 2015.
The amount Sittenfeld raised in the fourth quarter last year was $6,288 more than what his campaign raised in the third quarter.
“By raising more money this quarter than in the one before, P.G. is showing not just staying power, but also new momentum,” Dale Butland, his campaign spokesman, said Friday in announcing Sittenfeld’s fourth-quarter contributions.
Sittenfeld had $785,356 in his campaign account as of Dec. 31.
New Leadership for Ohio, a super political action committee that supports Sittenfeld but doesn’t coordinate with his campaign, raised $735,001 between Sept. 15 and Dec. 31.
Sittenfeld’s campaign cash and the New Leadership money “will translate into a significant paid media effort,” Butland said.
The primary is March 15.
Strickland has until Jan. 31 to announce how much he raised in the last quarter of 2015. His campaign is expected to do so shortly.
As of Sept. 30, Strickland had raised $2,679,617 for 2015 – that’s almost twice as much as Sittenfeld collected for the entire year.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, the Republican incumbent, raised $9.8 million last year, including $2.1 million in the final three months alone. He has more than $12 million in his campaign fund.