Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Ohio State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. It includes activity between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Ohio State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in Ohio State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they are on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Nickie Antonio (District 23) – $122,620
- Robert Hagan (District 33) – $79,815
- Hearcel Craig (District 15) – $42,367
- Patricia Goetz (District 27) – $37,636
- Cecil Thomas (District 25) – $24,104
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Matt Huffman – $312,375
- Shane Wilkin (District 17) – $173,177
- Kristina Daley Roegner (District 27) – $114,108
- Michael Rulli (District 33) – $114,085
- Nathan Manning (District 13) – $97,074
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $429,077 in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $1.6 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, filing period raised $2.1 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 71 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 50 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – OHIO STATE SENATE (Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Matt Huffman | Republican Party | $312,375 | $335,194 |
| Shane Wilkin | Republican Party | $173,177 | $71,077 |
| Nickie Antonio | Democratic Party | $122,620 | $51,064 |
| Kristina Daley Roegner | Republican Party | $114,108 | $190,220 |
| Michael Rulli | Republican Party | $114,085 | $32,331 |
| Nathan Manning | Republican Party | $97,074 | $118,717 |
| Robert McColley | Republican Party | $96,506 | $90,149 |
| Robert Hagan | Democratic Party | $79,815 | $9,896 |
| Al Landis | Republican Party | $69,154 | $38,189 |
| Jay Hottinger | Republican Party | $64,098 | $97,892 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2021 Annual | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary | 4/21/2022 |
| 2022 Post-Primary | 6/10/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual | 7/29/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General | 10/27/2022 |
| 2022 Post-General | 12/16/2022 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.