Sen. Sherrod Brown Breaks Ohio Fundraising Record
Opponent has not released fundraising totals yet
Weeks before election day, Sen. Sherrod Brown has raised $27.1 million, an Ohio record, the Dayton Daily News reported Thursday.
That total eclipses Sen. Rob Portman’s historic $25.8 million haul in 2016.
Brown’s opponent, Republican Rep. Jim Renacci, has not released his fundraising totals yet. Reports are due to the Federal Election Commission on Oct. 15.
Nearly 40,000 people donated to his campaign last quarter.
“Sherrod’s respect for the dignity of work and his record of fighting for Ohio’s priorities continue to give our campaign grassroots momentum as we head towards Election Day,” Justin Barasky, Friends of Sherrod Brown campaign manager, told the paper.
Brown is one of 10 Democratic senators running for reelection in states captured by Trump in 2016, but is not considered especially vulnerable. A September POLITICO/AARP poll put Brown ahead of Renacci by double digits: 47 percent to 31 percent.
Brown’s odds improved when Renacci, a former lobbyist, secured the Republican nomination, neutralizing potential attacks tarnishing Brown as a Washington insider. State Treasurer Josh Mandel, a former state representative who was long expected to take the nomination, would have been able to levy that criticism more credibly.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as Likely Democratic.
See: See Hatch and Brown’s Fiery Tax Bill Skirmish
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