RUN FOR THE MONEY
Findings and recommendations
1999-2000

1. Findings

  • Ohio statewide and legislative candidates, political parties and legislative caucuses received $70,575,923 in contributions in 1999-2000. The Center identified the employer or organizational affiliation of 96.6 percent and the economic sector of 91.3 percent of the total.


  • Candidates who raised more than their opponents won 88.9 percent of the time. In the 1996 election cycle, candidates who raised more money won 98.3 percent of the time and in the 1998 election cycle candidates who raised more money won 88 percent of the time.


  • Amounts raised during 1999-2000 winners vs. losers --

      House Senate
      Total Average Total Average
    Winners $12,687,338 $125,617 $6,811,238 $189,201
    Losers $3,791,171 $35,766 $1,407,852 $100,561

  • Amounts raised during 1999-2000 by office --

      Total Average
    Statewide officeholders $6,216,426 $518,036
    2000 Justice candidates $3,118,380 $779,595
    House candidates $18,997,079 $53,816
    Senate candidates $8,219090 $164,382


  • Amounts raised during 1999-2000 by type of candidate --


    •   House Senate
      Total Average Total Average
    Incumbents $8,212,803 $95,498 $2,899,745 $131,807
    Challengers $1,332,740 $27,765 $683,595 $113,932
    Open Seat Candidates $7,598,118 $72,363 $4,636,450 $201,585


  • Ohio incumbent candidates raised 3.8 times more money than the challengers in 1999-2000, compared with five times more in 1995-1996 and 3.7 times more in 1997-1998.


  • In 2000 races, Ohio incumbent state senators who ran for re-election were re-elected 100 percent of the time. All of the incumbents who ran for office were also re-elected in 1996. In 1998 they were re-elected 96 percent of the time.


  • House incumbent members who ran for re-election were re-elected 96.4 percent of the time in 2000. This can be compared with 97.7 percent during Election 1996 and 96.7 percent during Election 1998. The two incumbents who lost their seats were Robert Gooding (D) and Ron Hood (R).


  • Both cases are interesting. Gooding was appointed to replace Randy Weston in the 90th House District after the election of 1998 and was running for election for the first time in 2000. Steve Reinhard (R) won in 2000 after an unsuccessful bid for the House in 1998. Reinhard raised $37,833 more than Gooding. Hood (R) lost to John Boccieri (D) 48.1% to 51.9% and won in 2 of 3 counties in the 57th District. Boccieri raised $109,048 more than the losing incumbent Hood.


  • In open seat elections, candidates that generated more money in 1999-2000 won 83 percent of the time. During 1995-1996 candidates in open seats won 95 percent of the time and this can be compared to 93.8 percent in 1997-1998.


  • In the General Election, all of the legislative candidates who ran for the opposite house due to term-limits, were elected to office. Three candidates won seats held by their term-limited spouses.


  • Ohio’s top individual givers in 1999-2000 --

    1. David Brennan, Brennan Industrial Group ($205,150)
    2. Leslie Wexner, The Limited ($176,000)
    3. Clay Mathile, Iams ($167,700)
    4. John McConnell, Worthington Industries ($127,250)
    5. Mary Mathile, Iams ($112,250)
      7. Wayne Boich, Jr., Boich Companies ($110,350)
    7. Michael Boich, Boich Industries ($98,500)
    8. Dennis Wojtanowski, Success Group ($67,115)
    9. Richard Fasenmyer, RFJ International ($67,025)
    10. Richard Farmer, Cintas ($64,500)


  • During 1999-2000, Ohio’s top five individual contributions contributed $788,350. These five individuals gave only to the Republican candidates, Republican parties and caucuses. In 1997-1998 Ohio’s top five contributors split contributions of $992,785 between Democrats and Republicans, spending 45 percent on Republicans and 55 percent on Democrats. In 1995-1996 Ohio’s top 5 individual givers spent 99.5 percent of their $1,047,800 on Republicans.


  • Ohio’s top 10 contributing registered lobbyists in 1999-2000 --

    1. Dennis Wojtanowski, Success Group, Inc. ($67,115)
    2. Paul Tipps, Public Policy Consultants, Inc. ($53,589)
    3. Thomas Green, Thomas C. Green & Associates ($51,912)
    4. Thomas McConnell, Discount Drug Mart ($38,900)
    5. P. Michael DeAngelo, Calfee Halter & Griswold ($32,056)
    6. Robert Lambert, Robert T. Lambert & Associates ($31,099)
    7. Paul Lee, Strategic Health Care ($27,884)
    8. Richard Weiland, Weiland & Associates ($21,555)
    9. Richard Ayish, Ohio Capital Policy Consultants ($20,076)
    10. George Glover, GTG & Associates ($15,582)

  • Ohio’s top ten organizational contributors (other than political parties) --*

    1. Ohio Education Association ($648,492)
    2. Ohio Association of Realtors ($413,125)
    3. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ($364,285)
    4. Boich Companies ($337,267)
      5. United Auto Workers ($306,740)
    5. First Energy ($277,390)
    6. The Limited ($266,811)
    7. Wholesale Beer and Wine Association of Ohio ($262,629)
    8. Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants ($255,353)
    9. AFSCME ($236,190)

    * These totals include contributions from employees, PACs, in-kind contributions and other contributions by organization.

  • Contributions from parties, committees, candidates and caucuses accounted for 47.8 percent or $33,768,559 of the $70,575,923 raised. In 1995-1996 these contributions accounted for 36 percent of money raised; in 1997-1998 43 percent of the total.


  • During the 2000 election cycle, Republican parties and candidates raised more money than Democrats.

    Republicans $43,408,960
    Democrats $19,329,654

    In 1997-1998 Republicans also raised more money: Republicans $46,036,332; Democrats $33,842,652. In 1995-1996 Republicans raised more money than Democrats by nearly 2-to-1, $32.5 million to $16.5 million. These totals do not include money given to the Ohio State Republican Party operating account because political parties in Ohio are not required to report money donated for "party building" and the Ohio Republican Party did not voluntarily disclose this information.

    Because political parties and candidate committees are legally allowed to pass large sums of money to each other it is difficult to tell the exact aggregate amount of money raised. For example, if one million is raised by a statewide party and then passed to their legislative caucuses, the amount raised would appear to be $2 million.

  • Ohio’s top ten contributing candidate committees:
    1. Citizens for (Larry) Householder ($596,000)
    2. Citizens for (Randall) Gardner ($329,100)
    3. (Richard) Finan Campaign Committee ($302,500)
    4. Committee to Elect Bill Harris ($255,937)
    5. Doug White for Good Government ($215,625)
    6. (Joann) Davidson for State Representative* ($215,600)
    7. Committee to Elect Lynn Wachtmann ($208,000)
    8. Friends of (Gary) Cates ($158,300)
    9. (Jon) Husted for State Representative ($157,000)
    10. Citizens for (Stephen) Buehrer ($156,422)

    * Joann Davidson did not run for office in 2000.

2. Recommendations

The Ohio General Assembly should re-create a study committee to address the impact of the 1995 reforms on the campaign finance system.

Senate Bill 2 in the 122nd General Assembly established a study committee to review the 1995 campaign finance reforms. Unfortunately, this committee only met once and did not report as required. It is time for the legislature to finish the job by looking closely at the impact of the 1995 reforms, problems with the current system and reform options. The committee should be required to meet regularly and issue a report.

Require disclosure of all party funds and contributor information.

In Ohio, political party committees play a major role in raising campaign cash. Yet Ohio law still does not require disclosure of important information about contributors to all party funds. In 1999-2000, the Ohio Republican Party reported raising more than $10.8 million and Ohio Democratic Party reported raising more than $12.1 million, a total of over $22.9 million. The Ohio Republican Party actually generated more money, but that total amount and information about the contributors to the operating accounts are not required by law to be disclosed. Contributions to party operating funds may be kept entirely secret and the Republican Party did not voluntarily disclose this information.

Ohio political parties should be required to identify contributor names, addresses and employers of those contributions over $100. Political parties are in the business of getting candidates elected. The public and the press should readily scrutinize all political moneys. Voters deserve to know who is supporting each party. Secrecy creates opportunities for inappropriate giving and promotes distrust in the system for the citizens of Ohio.

All political party committees, including the county level, should be required by law to identify contributor names, addresses and employers of those contributions over $100. Candidate committees are required to identify contributor names, addresses and employers of those contributors over $100. Political party committees have voluntarily identified some of this information. However, names do not adequately allow voters and the press to "follow the money."

Improve disclosure of Ohio political action committees (PACs) by requiring that they identify the group(s) associated with the PACs. Currently, only corporations and unions are required to identify that they are sponsoring a PAC. This means that business associations and ideological groups are not required to identify who sponsors them which makes it hard to identify PACs. For example, Neighbors for Responsible Business is a PAC operated by the Craig Group. It is associated with the work they do on behalf of clients who desire liquor permits, but who first must win a liquor option election in a precinct.

Expand disclosure so that voting records and lobbyist information are readily available in searchable form on the Internet.

Citizens and the press should be able to review and compare contributor information and voting records more easily. Voting records are available at the Bill Room in the Statehouse but not easily available to citizens outside of Columbus. This information should be available on the Internet. This will make it easy for the press to track legislation and keep the public better informed.

Lobbyists should be required to file information about the bills that they are advocating for or against and any expenses connected to lobbying so that this information can be available on the Internet. Lobbyist information provides another picture of political dollars. Currently registered lobbyists’ quarterly forms are scanned into pdf format and available at www.jlec-olig.state.oh.us. There are currently 1,467 registered lobbyists and scrolling through this information is time consuming and may frustrate citizens.

Ohio should address the many loopholes for wealthy individuals and corporations to influence the political system with large donation.

Ohio law limits contributions individuals may give candidates, but does not limit the total that may be given to all candidates and parties in Ohio. It does not limit the amount that candidates and parties may pass on to other committees and candidates.

Limits should be placed on the amounts passed between candidates committees and party committees. Some candidate-to-candidate and candidate-to-party giving is appropriate because secure incumbents who are good fundraisers are able to help under-funded challenger candidates. The parties are often the only entity advocating for the challengers. However, this allows contributors to evade contribution limits and can make it difficult to follow the path of political dollars. Disclosure of contributions only tells part of the story. For example, a party committee gives money to a candidate and then the candidate gives money to the same party committee. If one only tracks contributions, this money is counted as two contributions.

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