The following report provides the total amount of money each candidate seeking election to the Ohio Senate currently has in their campaign accounts this cycle. The reports are provided via Secretary of State Jon Husted’s website.
*Denotes Incumbent
Senate District 4
Republican Primary
Sen. Bill Coley* $59,638
Joseph Ebbing $700
Eric Gurr $0
Jeremiah York $500
Senator Bill Coley has filed with $59,638.36 compared to the $1,200 raised by his three opponents combined. While this is the most crowded field for an incumbent Senate Republican, Coley’s opponents seem less than serious with the lack of any legitimate fundraising totals.
Senate District 6
Republican Primary
Sen. Peggy Lehner* $72,122
Barbara Temple $0
Sen. Lehner’s opponent Barbara Temple has not raised any money for her primary race.
Senate District 10
Republican Primary
Rep. Bob Hackett $54,697
Brian Walton $-2,973
Democratic Primary
Matthew Kirk-No Report Filed
Michael Sergio-Gilbert-No Reports Filed
Bob Hackett’s opponent Brian Walton has spent more money than he currently has on hand; thus the negative number. On the Democratic side, no report was filed for either opponent at the time this article was written. Rep. Hackett is likely to be appointed to the 10th Senate District seat following the resignation of Senator Chris Widener last month.
Senate District 12
Republican Primary
Matt Huffman $185,555
John Adams $44,220
Former state Rep. Matt Huffman filed a large number against his former colleague Rep. John Adams. Both candidates were term-limited in the Ohio House following the 2014 election cycle.
Senate District 16
Republican Primary
Rep. Stephanie Kunze $35,824
Aaron Neumann $791.00
Rep. Stephanie Kunze files with a near 35-1 advantage over first-time candidate Aaron Neumann. Like Rep. Hackett, Kunze is looking to replace term-limited state Sen. Jim Hughes. Sen. Hughes is seeking Rep. Kunze’s seat in the Ohio House.
Senate District 22
Republican Primary
Sen. Larry Obhof* $97,472
Janet Porter $-27
The pro-life activist Janet Porter has not raised any significant dollars to date in her race to defeat Sen. Larry Obhof. With the primary approaching, Porter will look to raise significant dollars to boost her name recognition leading into the primary.
Senate District 24
Republican Primary
Rep. Nan Baker $32,970
Matt Dolan $133,581
Rep. Mike Dovilla $88,890
Unsurprisingly, former state Rep. Matt Dolan has bested current state Reps. Mike Dovilla and Nan Baker on the fundraising side. Despite Dolan’s fundraising advantages, this race will be down to the wire come primary day. The primary winner faces Democrat Emily Hagan in the general. Hagan reported $25,645 on hand in her annual report.
Senate District 26
Democratic Primary
Vernon Sykes $87,949.41
Elizabeth Walters-No Report Filed
Long-time legislator and former state Rep. Vernon Sykes looks to return to the Ohio legislature, filing with a high amount of cash on hand. There is speculation that his opponent Elizabeth Walters will bow out of the race to take an appointment to Akron City Council.
Senate District 32
Democratic Primary
Rep. Sean O’Brien $62,790.14
Kristen Rock $6,034.78
Republican Primary
Rob Allen No Report Filed
Randy Law 11.79
In the race to replace term-limited Sen. Capri Cafaro, there are primaries on both sides of the aisle. Rep. Sean O’Brien faces attorney Kristen Rock on the Democratic side while former state Rep. Randy Law faces political newcomer Rob Allen on the Republican side. Rep. O’Brien has the fundraising advantage in the Democratic primary while no significant money has been raised by the Republican side.