Ryan leads third-quarter fundraising in Ohio Senate race

U.S Rep. Tim Ryan led the fundraising pack in the latest spending period of Ohio’s contentious Senate race after his campaign received nearly $2.5 million from donors.

Ryan is running against progressive attorney Morgan Harper in next year’s Democratic primary for the chance to replace retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman.

The race has attracted millions of dollars in spending by well-funded candidates — especially on the Republican side — even though the primary is still months away.

Ryan’s third-quarter fundraising haul included roughly $2.3 million in individual contributions from Ohioans and people across the United States, according to Federal Election Commission filings submitted Friday. His campaign received $176,000 from political action committees and spent $1.4 million during the same timeframe.

Columbus native Morgan Harper is a co-founder of the grassroots organization Columbus Stand Up! and former candidate to represent Ohio’s Third Congressional District.

Harper, who reported fundraising numbers for the first time, raised over $535,000 since launching her Senate bid in August.

Republican money

Friday’s disclosure was also the first from “Hillbilly Elegy” author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance, who got a $10 million boost earlier this year from Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel to Vance’s super PAC. Vance brought in $1.75 million for this period, including a personal loan of $100,000 and funds from the exploratory phase of his bid.

He raised funds through his campaign and a joint fundraising agreement with Working for Ohio.

Former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel raised around $1.1 million through his campaign and Team Josh, a joint fundraising agreement that includes Josh PAC and the Shelby County Republican Party.

Former Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken loaned her campaign $1 million and raised about$700,000 between her campaign committee and a joint fundraising agreement with the Stark County GOP. Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland car dealer turned blockchain executive, received just over $700,000 — a significant drop from his fundraising last quarter — and loaned his campaign $3 million.

Investment banker Mike Gibbons continued to use his personal wealth to fuel his Senate bid. He received around $133,000 in donations and loaned his campaign $2.25 million, bringing his total investment to nearly $8 million. Gibbons spent $4 million in the third quarter, including a nearly $3 million media buy.

Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan joined the race in mid-september and isn’t required to file until the end of the year.