O’Connor releases fundraising figures
WASHINGTON — Democrat Danny O’Connor raised nearly $6 million between July 1 and Sept. 30 in his bid to represent central Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, receiving the bulk of the money between July 19 and Aug. 27, the period when he narrowly lost a specialelection bid for the seat to Republican Troy Balderson.
About a month before the Nov. 6 general election, O’Connor has about $1 million in the bank, said O’Connor spokeswoman Annie Ellison, and he raised $4.06 million between July 19 and Aug. 27.
Balderson, who was sworn in Sept. 5, has not yet released his fundraising numbers for the third quarter. Campaign-finance reports are due Oct. 15. But Balderson raised $504,744 between July 19 and Aug. 27, spending $620,084 during that period. He had $92,692 in the bank as of Aug. 27.
O’Connor, who is the Franklin County recorder, has been an aggressive presence on TV airwaves, launching two ads during the Balderson O’Connor
general-election campaign. By contrast, Balderson — who received heavy support from national Republicans and outside groups during the special election but has not received similar support since then, with so many other House seats around the country in play — went on the air just this week.
Balderson’s campaign manager, Jenna Knepper, said in a statement that O’Connor “continues to receive campaign contributions from out-of-state liberals who are committed to making (California Rep.) Nancy Pelosi speaker again. While O’Connor continues to raise millions of dollars from national liberals, Troy’s campaign is being funded by hardworking Ohioans who want someone who will fight for them and their middle-class values.”
She would not share Balderson’s fundraising totals.
Balderson won the seat by about 1,700 votes in the Aug. 7 special election to replace Rep. Pat Tiberi, who resigned in January to take a job with the Ohio Business Roundtable. The district includes all of Delaware, Licking and Morrow counties, plus parts of Franklin, Marion, Muskingum and Richland counties.
A major question for the rematch is whether national groups will get involved again in bankrolling the campaigns.