Ryan, Republicans tout Q2 campaign hauls before filing deadline

Jul. 8—Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan's U.S. Senate campaign says he raised $2.28 million in the latest fund‑raising quarter, rivaling his Republican opponents for the biggest three‑month haul to date in this cycle.

Mr. Ryan's Senate account took in about $2.1 million in mostly small‑dollar donations, while roughly $200,000 was raised into his existing U.S. House of Representatives account, the campaign said. He'll also report $2.6 million cash on hand.

The Youngstown-area congressman is the only major Ohio Democrat to launch a Senate bid, while five Republicans are competing for attention and donors.

"From now through next November, Tim will continue to unify Ohioans and build grassroots power with his relentless focus on the working people of this state," said Izzy Levy, his spokesman.

Mr. Ryan's campaign said it plans to transfer $1 million from his House account, but that number isn't factored into the figure being reported today.

His contributions came from all 88 Ohio counties and the average online contribution was just under $27, according to the campaign.

Mr. Ryan entered the race at the end of April, a month into the second quarter.

Federal campaigns have until July 15 to submit their financial disclosures for April through June, but many tease their numbers before the full report is available.

The big number doesn't always tell the full story, and is sometimes a way for candidates to spin fund‑raising in a more positive light.

In the first quarter of 2021, Republican Jane Timken didn't initially disclose that nearly half of her advertised $2.1 million haul came from her own pocket.

Her campaign said that during the second quarter, she didn't self‑fund any portion of the $1.4 million she's expected to report.

Also in the first quarter Republican Josh Mandel boasted a number that included money he can't draw upon for his campaign because of his joint fund‑raising account structure, which allows candidates to collect bigger checks to be split later between several accounts. About $700,000 of the $1.3 million he reported raising in the first quarter went into his candidate account.

Mr. Mandel's campaign says it brought in $1.5 million in the second quarter, but hasn't disclosed how much is for him.

J.D. Vance, an investment banker and author who entered the race at the new quarter's July 1 start, said he raised $100,000 in first five days of his campaign, which will get reported in the next cycle.

The quarterly hauls represent a small portion of what candidates ultimately need to raise to compete in the primary and general elections.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) spent almost $28 million on his 2018 re-election bid, while his Republican challenger, Jim Renacci, spent $4.6 million, according to OpenSecrets.org.

First Published July 8, 2021, 9:32am