Candidates filed their latest campaign finance reports last Friday, disclosing their campaign fundraising and spending from April 16 through June 12. The reports provided a look at their last-minute spending ahead of the May 5 primary election. The documents will also be the last financial look behind the curtain until October.
Here are a few quick takeaways:
1. Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy quickly jumped out to a massive fundraising lead last year after launching his campaign. But Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic former state health department director, has outraised Ramaswamy in 2026.
Including numbers from last week’s report, Acton has raised nearly $10.6 million in 2026, while Ramasawmy has raised $9.6 million. Ramaswamy still has much more cash available, though – he reported a $26.8 million balance compared to Acton’s $8.1 million. The difference is thanks to $25 million Ramaswamy personally loaned his campaign last year.
In total, Acton’s fundraising has improved as Democrats have felt better about her chances of winning in November. Ramaswamy’s fundraising has slowed down comparatively, although that’s tempered by his unprecedentedly strong 2025 fundraising and his vast personal wealth (plus an outside political action committee that’s raking in tens of millions of dollars, too.)
2. Ramaswamy spent big in the weeks ahead of the May 5 primary election. His report shows he spent $1.8 million on ads on April 22, compared to $1.6 million for the entire month of May.
His spending may have helped reinforce his victory margin in the primary – but it also has started showing up in polling. A June 3 poll by Fox News found 45% of voters viewed Ramaswamy favorably, while 44% viewed him unfavorably. Compare that to April, when a Bowling Green State University poll found only 32% of voters viewed him favorably, compared to 40% unfavorable.
3. Dropping down the ballot, the fundraising story is similar: Democrats from April 16 to June 12 outraised their opponents in two of four races (attorney general, state treasurer), but Republicans have cash advantages in all four. A good example is the attorney general race between Democrat John Kulewicz and Republican state Auditor Keith Faber.
Kulewicz raised $224,700 to Faber’s $149,000. But Faber has a massive cash advantage, with $2.5 million in his bank account.
Another interesting contrast is the race for state treasurer between Republican Jay Edwards and Democrat Seth Walsh. Edwards went for broke as he beat out Kristina Roegner, spending all $679,000 he had heading into the primary. Walsh outraised Edwards, $52,700 to $41,600, but Edwards’ $41,500 cash on hand is still more than the $28,400 Walsh has left after accounting for his campaign spending.
🗳️ Looking for clear, nonpartisan election info? See what to know about Ohio’s November 2026 election and how it could affect your community.
FBI raids top progressive group
The FBI sent political shockwaves through Ohio late last week when it targeted a prominent state progressive group with what appears to have been an operation involving dozens of agents.
Leaders of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative described the investigation as apparently focused on voter registration fraud in the 2024 election. OOC officials, Democrats and their allies quickly criticized the operation as politically motivated and planned events opposing it in Cleveland.
Andrew wrote a couple of articles over the past week to help explain the raid’s significance and its possible focus. First, he laid out some key background on the OOC, explaining its recent work and highlighting some of the major liberal groups that gave it nearly $55 million between 2020 and 2024, the most recent years for which public tax filings are available.
He also reported that early last year, FBI agents questioned elections officials in Cuyahoga County about a case the county referred for state investigation involving irregularities in voter registrations submitted during the 2022, 2023 and 2024 election cycles. Those registrations were collected by canvassers working for Black Fork Strategies, a political firm owned by an OOC founder. The OOC’s political arm helped fund that work, paying the firm nearly $11 million in 2023 and 2024.
The details of the FBI’s investigation remain unclear – but we’ll continue to follow what likely will be a top political storyline this year.
His own man
Gov. Mike DeWine recently hand-picked Andy Wilson to be Ohio’s attorney general for the rest of the year. That doesn’t mean the two men agree on everything, we found out this week.
Wilson issued a statement on Wednesday in favor of the death penalty, saying it offers value to prosecutors and the families of victims “in very limited circumstances.”
DeWine argued the opposite in a press conference on Tuesday in which he announced his opposition to the death penalty – putting into words what has long been pretty clear to those who have watched the governor closely.
“I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty,” DeWine said. “The legislature can take this action, and I believe they should take this action.”
DeWine argued executions, once they go through the legal process, take too long to deliver justice. He said they also take a toll on victims and executioners and fail to deter crime.
The governor’s words seem unlikely to have an effect – a top Republican legislative leader, House Speaker Matt Huffman, is on record as a strong proponent. They did attract national and international attention, though. DeWine said he hopes his comments may have an effect some day.
“The legislature will have an opportunity to look at this, but future legislatures will too,” DeWine said.
For now, DeWine said he will continue his de facto death penalty ban through the rest of his time as governor, which ends in early 2027.
And Wilson said he’ll continue to support the law as written.
Politics of voter ID
The twin voter ID measures that state Republicans passed last week offered an interesting political test for Democrats. Many Democrats oppose requiring voters to show a photo ID on principle, yet polling consistently shows voters broadly support it.
So what did Rep. Allison Russo do? The Democratic Secretary of State candidate not only voted against the measures but gave floor speeches in the Ohio House opposing both.
The stances put her at odds with Robert Sprague, her Republican opponent in November.
In her speech opposing a proposed amendment that would add the state’s photo ID requirements to the state constitution, Russo suggested Republicans were pursuing the amendment to make President Donald Trump happy instead of tackling issues that matter more to Ohioans, like the cost of living.
“It is highly flawed. It lacks many of the key protections for Ohio’s eligible voters,” Russo said. “There is clear political motivation for this effort today. It was fast-tracked. It’s poorly written.”
Later, Russo gave a second speech opposing a bill that would change Ohio’s existing election law to require voters to submit a copy of their photo ID when casting a mail ballot for the November 2027 election. Currently, voters can provide personal information, like a driver’s license number.
Russo called the bill rushed and sloppily written. She said lawmakers failed to set aside money to help implement it.
She also referenced elections’ officials criticism of the bill – they’ve questioned bill language directing them to set up an online absentee ballot application portal by November 2027. She said she drew boos when she referenced it while speaking at an Ohio Elections Officials Association conference last week.
“The people who actually have to carry out the administration of our elections understand that this is a really dumb idea,” Russo said.
In an interview, Sprague said he supports both the amendment – which voters must approve in the November election for it to take effect – and the photo ID for mail voting law, which is on Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature or a veto.
“I support it 1 million percent,” Sprague said of the amendment.
As for the law, Sprague said he’s confident the state will be able to figure out how to implement it in time for the November 2027 election. He said the issue will be a key focus of his campaign.
“Nothing is more fundamental, nothing is more essential, than requiring photo ID, no matter how a ballot is cast, whether it’s in person or via the mail,” Sprague said.
In the news
Sticking up for the middleman: In a late-night vote last week, the Ohio House and Senate approved a bill rolling back new consumer protections for apartment residents who get their electricity from “submetering” companies. Jake Zuckerman explains here.
Waiting until next year: Elections officials in Cuyahoga County don’t want to talk much about the new photo ID requirement for mail-in voting that will take effect next year – unless DeWine vetoes the bill lawmakers passed earlier this month. Mark Naymik explains why one top official calls it “just bad for elections administration.”
Ohio’s aging campuses: Ohio college leaders need to fix their roofs. And their heating and cooling systems. And their elevators. Amy Morona reports campuses face a backlog of repairs, and state funding isn’t keeping up.
New synthetic opioids: Nitazenes — synthetic drugs that can be far stronger than fentanyl — are turning up across the state, with Northeast Ohio at the center of a growing public health crisis. Read more.
Mark your calendar: The Ohio House announced its session calendar for the second half of 2026, and the next scheduled one isn’t until Nov. 10 – after the November election. House Speaker Matt Huffman has said he could call one next week to take up the stalled data center issue, but there are no updates on that front.
