“I am happy to report that what we are seeing is the blue wave that people are talking about nationally is building,” said Sarah Greathouse, executive director of the Montgomery County Democratic Party.
Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer, who heads the Montgomery County Republican Party, and is also a Statehouse candidate, could not be reached for comment.
University of Dayton political scientist Christopher Devine said it is unusual for challengers to outraise incumbents, but he cautioned that there are many months before November’s General Election and a lot depends on how the money is spent by the candidates.
“First, state legislative races are cheaper than statewide or national races. So even if Democrats are outraising Republicans by large percentages, the differences in actual dollars are fairly modest and could be overcome by Republican efforts in the months ahead,” Devine said. “Second, outraising or outspending an opponent hardly guarantees election - just ask Hillary Clinton”
73rd House race: Democrat Kim McCarthy, a first time candidate from Sugarcreek Twp., outraised embattled state Rep. Rick Perales, R-Beavercreek, whose Republican opponent Jocelyn Smith of Fairborn, has accused him of choking, kissing and fondling her. Perales denies the allegations but said he had a brief, consensual relationship with Smith involving sexually explicit texts.
RELATED: Perales: My opponent is extorting me
McCarthy raised $15,515 and Perales raised $3,300 during the period, although Perales brought forward $12,828 from an earlier reporting period. Smith did not file a report.
Candidates who raise or spend less than $1,000 do not have to file but those who were supposed to file but did not will get a reminder from Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and could face referral to the Ohio Elections Commission, according to Sam Rossi, spokesman for Husted.
The district covers western Greene County.
74th House race: Democrat Anne Gorman of Plain City raised $9,894 and State Rep. Bill Dean, R-Xenia, collected $1,000.
The district covers eastern Greene County, northeastern Clark County and all of Madison County.
42nd House race: Zach Dickerson of Miamisburg, the Democrat running for the seat now held by state Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg outraised each of the three Republicans in the race. Dickerson raised $20,861. Antani raised $18,018, Miamisburg Vice Mayor Sarah M. Clark collected $10,100, and Marcus Rech of Miamisburg raised $600. Democrat Autumn Kern of Miamisburg did not file a report.
The district covers the Miamisburg, Washington Twp., Germantown area.
RELATED: Abortion, guns, taxes focus in local state House debate
41st House race: Democratic Dayton School Board member John McManus raised $32,487, of which $14,395 came from his school board campaign. State Rep. Jim Butler, R-Oakwood, collected $24,365 in his bid for re-election. Butler brought forward another $15,035. The district covers south Dayton, Oakwood, Kettering, Riverside, and Centerville.
RELATED: Local Republican lawmakers trade accusations of ‘political ambition,’ ‘strange insult’
Ohio 80th District House seat: Jena Powell of Arcanum took in the largest amount of contributions in the crowded Republican primary for the 80th District seat. Powell collected $70,193 and loaned herself $15,000. Commissioner John W. "Bud" O'Brien received $25,410. J.D. Winteregg of Troy received $17,797 and loaned himself $5,500. The candidate who loaned himself the most money was George H. Lovett of Tipp City, who loaned $99,400 to his campaign and collected $5,025 in contributions.
Write-in Democrat Scott Zimmerman of Troy did not file.
The 80th district includes all of Miami County and southern Darke County.
85th District House seat: State Rep. Nino Vitale, R-Urbana, received $21,438 in his bid for re-election. Republicans Justin G. Griffis of Sidney received $1,700, Rochiel V. Foulk of Urbana reported no contributions and Joseph Ratermann of Sidney did not file. Democrat Garrett Baldwin of Mechanicsburg received $3,415.
The 85th district includes all of Champaign County and most of Logan County as well as southeastern Shelby County.
Ohio 5th District Senate seat: Democrat Paul Bradley of Dayton raised $38,450. Republican State Rep. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, raised $27,450 and brought forward $29,109 from a previous reporting period. The district covers Miami County, Preble County and parts of Dayton, Trotwood and western Montgomery County.
Ohio 7th District Senate seat: State Sen. Steve Wilson, R-Maineville, raised the most of any area candidates in his bid for re-election. Wilson reported $117,323 in contributions. He received $99,962 in in-kind contributions, nearly all of it from the Republican Senate Campaign Committee.
Republican Brad Lamoreaux of Lebanon collected $25,675 and Democrat Sara Bitter of Loveland took in $24,400.
The 7th district includes all of Warren and part of Hamilton counties.
County and city races
Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley, a Democrat, raised $19,250 in the race for the Ohio 43rd House. Clayton Republican Clayton Councilman Kenneth Henning raised $12,574 and Germantown pastor J. Todd Smith, also a Republican, raised $11,825.
RELATED: 2 Republicans running in primary for open local state House seat
Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer, a Republican who is running unopposed in the Ohio House 40th District raised $51,500, all but $500 of which came from his sheriff’s campaign warchest. One of the two Democrats in the race, Ryan Taylor of Dayton, raised $8,550. Albert Griggs Jr. of Huber Heights did not file a report.
RELATED: Who is running?: 18 local state House and Senate on ballot this year
In Clark County State Rep. Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield raised $8,350 in his bid for re-election. No report was filed by the Democrat running for the 79th District seat, Amanda Finfrock of New Carlisle.
In the Ohio Senate 7th District race State Sen. Steve Wilson, R-Maineville, far outraised the other candidates. Wilson raised $117,322 and brought forward another $75,200. Republican Brad Lamoreaux of Lebanon collected $25,675 and brought forward $7,386. Democrat Sara Bitter of Loveland raised $24,399.
Montgomery County races
In the race for an open Montgomery County Commission seat, Carolyn Rice, a Democrat and current county treasurer, reported having the most money on hand, $68,942.81, according to reports filed at the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Rice’s campaign started with $46,983.50 and received $28,970 in contributions since the last report. Her campaign spent $7,010.69. The largest expenditures went to Veracity Media in Washington, D.C. for digital consulting and online advertising, according to the report.
Democrat Dr. Don Shaffer, of Brookville did not file a report..
RELATED: Restaurant owner drops out of county commission race
Of the three Republican primary candidates for the county commission seat, Miami Twp. Trustee Doug Barry reported raising and spending the most.
Barry’s campaign reported having $38,503.58 on hand after raising $79,282.83 – which includes $50,000 in loans to the campaign made by the candidate.
Barry, a Miami Twp. trustee, reported spending $40,779.80. A majority of the spending – $33,202.48 – went to a Jacksonville, Fla. firm, Majority Strategies for printing and mailing, according to the report.
Republican Gary Leitzell, a former Dayton mayor in the county commission race for the third time, reported having $1,442.58 on hand and spent no money. A third Republican in the primary, and Bob Matthews, a former Miami Twp. trustee, reported $38.18 on hand after spending $209 on printed material.
In the Dayton City Commission race Rev. Darryl Fairchild raised $14,745 and Rev. Daryl Ward collected $11,680.
RELATED: Daryl vs. Darryl: Dayton City Commission candidates square off before May election
Fairchild has run unsuccessfully for commission twice before and Ward is a first time candidate.
Fairchild, who also carried over $2,709 from his last report, has spent $13,955 for advertising, print and design services, postage, rental space, mailings and other expenses.
Ward, who has spent about $3,505, so far has focused his spending on yard signs. He has $8,175 leftover to make a final push, leading up to the May 8 election.
‘Don’t force me to release the rest of the text messages,’ local candidate tells lawmaker
Two drug deaths from one family. Says mom: ‘It was like living in hell’
‘Don’t force me to release the rest of the text messages,’ local candidate tells lawmaker
Two drug deaths from one family. Says mom: ‘It was like living in hell’
