Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Ohio House of Representatives, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the House submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. It includes activity between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Ohio House of Representatives by party
The top fundraisers in Ohio House of Representatives elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they were on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Jessica Miranda (District 28) – $282,536
- Allison Russo (District 7) – $270,016
- Kathleen Clyde (District 72) – $255,603
- Rachel Baker (District 27) – $253,351
- Casey Weinstein (District 34) – $251,234
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Jay Edwards (District 94) – $746,627
- Derek Merrin (District 42) – $681,309
- Thomas Patton (District 17) – $528,114
- Bill Roemer (District 31) – $432,751
- Bob Young (District 32) – $413,043
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $5.7 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $12.8 million. Combined, all House fundraisers in the July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, filing period raised $18.6 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 23 percent of all Democratic House fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 22 percent of all Republican House fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – OHIO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Jay Edwards | Republican Party | $746,627 | $821,843 |
| Derek Merrin | Republican Party | $681,309 | $333,991 |
| Thomas Patton | Republican Party | $528,114 | $661,289 |
| Bill Roemer | Republican Party | $432,751 | $137,721 |
| Bob Young | Republican Party | $413,043 | $85,571 |
| Beth Bigham | Republican Party | $397,091 | $157,101 |
| D.J. Swearingen | Republican Party | $394,767 | $292,601 |
| Josh Williams | Republican Party | $386,651 | $116,938 |
| Andrea White | Republican Party | $370,569 | $159,112 |
| George Phillips | Republican Party | $362,078 | $84,017 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate committees submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State. Candidate committees represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate committees. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.