Interested in the most recent data? Download the pre-primary study - Contributions to Gubernatorial Candidates Jan. 1, 2005 to April 12 2006.
During 2005, contributions to all the gubernatorial candidates total $8,238,876.
2005 Contributions to Candidates for Governor*
| Candidate | Party |
Total
|
| Bryan Flannery | Democrat |
$89,095
|
| Ted Strickland | Democrat |
$3,027,072
|
| J. Kenneth Blackwell | Republican |
$2,719,446
|
| Jim Petro | Republican |
$2,368,773
|
| Total |
$8,204,386
|
Average Individual Contributions
| Candidate |
Average Contribution
|
| Bryan Flannery-D |
$253.95
|
| Ted Strickland-D |
$384.40
|
| J. Kenneth Blackwell-R |
$162.84
|
| Jim Petro-R |
$485.39
|
| All Candidates |
$321.65
|
There were 17,996 individual donors to gubernatorial candidates in 2005.
In 2005, the average individual contribution size for the gubernatorial candidates was $321.65.
| Candidate | Number of Contributions from individuals less than $200 | Percentage of Contributions from individuals less than $200 | Number of Contributions from individuals $200 & more | Percentage of Contributions from individuals $200 & more | Total |
| Flannery | 230 | 83.0% | 47 | 17.0% | 277 |
| Strickland | 4,800 | 72.0% | 1,868 | 28.0% | 6,668 |
| Blackwell | 14,308 | 90.3% | 1,537 | 9.7% | 15,845 |
| Petro | 1,869 | 50.7% | 1,819 | 49.3% | 3,688 |
| Total | 21,207 | 80.1% | 5,271 | 19.9% | 26,478 |
Blackwell received a surprising 14,308 contributions from small donors. Ninety percent of his contributions from individuals were small, grassroots donations. His opponent in the primary provides a striking contrast. Petro received only half of his contributions from small donors. All the candidates received at least half of their contributions from small donors (less than $200). Eighty percent of the total contributions from individuals were in amounts less than $200.
Contribution Comparison
| Number of Individual Contributions less than $200 | Number of Individual Contributions greater than $200 | Number of $10,000 contributions | Total | |
| Democrats | 5,030 | 1,914 | 75 | 6,944 |
| Republicans | 16,129 | 3,406 | 80 | 19,535 |
| Total | 21,159 | 5,320 | 155 | 26,479 |
| Candidate | Number of $10,000 Contributions |
| Bryan Flannery |
2
|
| Ted Strickland |
74
|
| J. Kenneth Blackwell |
62
|
| Jim Petro |
18
|
| All Candidates |
156
|
In 2004, contribution limits were raised to $10,000. Together all the gubernatorial candidates received 156 contributions of the maximum amount.
Total Amount from Political Party,
Candidate Committees, and Leadership PAC
| Candidate | Dollar Amount |
| Flannery | $100 |
| Strickland | $114,115 |
| Blackwell | $9,875 |
| Petro | $467,419 |
| Total | $591,509 |
Despite the relatively small difference in the total amount of money raised by Blackwell and Petro, Blackwell had significantly more contributions from small donors. He also received significantly more $10,000 contributions. Strickland raised 32 times more money than his competitor, Bryan Flannery. Flannery did not break $100,000 and his total represented only 1% of the total monies generated by gubernatorial candidates. Flannery did not receive the support of the Democratic party. Jim Petro's campaign has had strong support from the Republican Party as a whole. Despite a lack of similar support, Blackwell was able to generate slightly more money than Petro.
Comparison of Contributions from the Top Three Economic Sectors for each of the Gubernatorial Candidates
2005
| Candidate |
Top Sector
|
Second Sector
|
Third Sector
|
| Bryan Flannery |
Real Estate
$13,600 |
Insurance
$10,200 |
Unions
$10,250 |
| Ted Strickland |
Lawyers
$449,359 |
Real Estate
$326,723 |
Unions
$234,610 |
| J. Kenneth Blackwell |
Finance
$257,388 |
Manufacturing
$254,738 |
Health
$159,380 |
| Jim Petro |
Lawyers
$524,429 |
Ideological
$479,367 |
Finance
$117,187 |
Economic interests are more clearly defined than ideological interests because individual donors identify their employers and not their ideological affiliation. Although Petro appears to have more ideological support than Blackwell, this is likely not to be the case. These ideological contributions to Petro were primarily political party giving. It is hard to tease out ideological giving due to social issues like pro-life and anti-tax sentiments, especially from small donors. Both Strickland and Petro received most of their contributions from attorneys and law firms. Both Flannery and Strickland received support from labor unions.
Contributions from Clergy
| Candidate | Amount from Clergy |
| Bryan Flannery | $0 |
| Ted Strickland | $615 |
| J. Kenneth Blackwell | $20,811 |
| Jim Petro | $5,535 |
| Total | $26,961 |
J. Kenneth Blackwell has received support in the media from conservative churches. He received more than $20,000 from pastors. This can be contrasted with Ted Strickland, a former United Methodist minister who received only $615 from clergy.
Top Organizational Donors by Candidate
| Bryan Flannery | Ted Strickland |
| 1. Rysar Properties $10,200 2. Anderson Ford of Omaha $10,000 3. Office and Professional Employees International Labor Union (OPEIU) $ 10,000 4. Surace Agencies $9,000 5. The George Group $4,100 |
1. Visconsi Companies $32,000 2. Woda Group LLC $27,500 3. Boich Companies $25,000 4. Carington Health Systems $25,000 5. Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur $23,450 |
| J. Kenneth Blackwell | Jim Petro |
| 1. R + L Carriers $80,500 2. HSR Business to Business $61,380 3. Ladd Industries $55,000 4. American Trim LLC $40,020 5. Security National Holding Company $30,000 |
1. Ohio Republican State and Central Executive Committee
$380,313 2. Citizens for Heimlich $57,717 3. Roetzel & Andress $51,650 4. Altair Engineering $35,000 5. Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs $30,950 |
click here for the 2005 Campaign Finance Disclosure for all statewide candidates