Ohio Dems outraise Republicans in downballot statewide offices but still far behind in cash on hand

Ohio Republican candidates hold a cash balance advantage over Democratic candidates in five out of six statewide elections apart from the governor’s race, but some Democrats are gaining ground, according to recent campaign finance filings.

Candidates running for office in Ohio must file several financial disclosures throughout the year of their election. The second disclosure of 2026, which included campaign donations and spending from mid-April to early June, was due June 12.

The filings provide insight into how candidates fared in the final stretch before Ohio’s May 5 primary, and they also show how party nominees size up against each other in the early stages of the general election.

Treasurer: Republican hopefuls burned through cash in a close primary

Former state Rep. Jay Edwards spent over $1.67 million in 2026 to win the Republican primary for state treasurer. Almost $1.5 million of that came in April alone, with $1.04 million spent on digital advertising and over $400,000 going to campaign consultants Big Dog Strategies.

His opponent, Republican state Sen. Kristina Roegner, didn’t come out much better. She spent over $1.3 million — including over $250,000 of her own money — in 2026 on her failed primary campaign. She dropped $1.18 million in April, including over $1.02 million on advertising.

The race was billed as a showdown between state Republican power and Ohio Republicans at the federal level, and that was reflected in the candidates’ spending.

Big Dog Strategies helped U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno’s 2024 Congressional campaign; in turn, Moreno and Vice President J.D. Vance endorsed Edwards.

Roegner opted for Utah-based firm Engagement Strategies, the preferred text messaging advertiser for Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. She received endorsements from Ramaswamy and Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman.

In the end, the Republican primary for state treasurer was the second-costliest statewide primary election this year, only behind the governor’s race. It was also the second-closest, with Edwards winning by six percentage points.

Edwards reported raising about $41,600 in the second reporting period and about $675,000 cash balance.

His Democratic opponent in the general election, Cincinnati-area community organizer Seth Walsh, reported raising about $52,700 in the same span and just under $112,000 cash on hand.

Attorney general: Kulewicz outraising Faber in 2026, but still far from matching Faber’s $2.46 million war chest

Democratic nominee and Columbus-area attorney John Kulewicz outraised Republican nominee and term-limited Ohio Auditor Keith Faber for the second straight fundraising period, reporting about $570,000 in donations this year compared to about $483,000 for Faber.

But with a reported $298,000 cash on hand, he still isn’t anywhere close to Faber’s reported cash balance of $2.46 million, which was mostly raised in past campaigns.

While Faber ran unopposed in the Republican primary, Kulewicz won the closest statewide Democratic primary in 2026 by 16 percentage points over former state legislator Elliot Forhan.

Kulewicz has spent about $100,000 more than Faber so far this year, including $95,000 on a digital ad produced by Pennsylvania-based firm LC Media ahead of the May primary.

Secretary of State: Establishment candidates fended off challengers despite grassroots fundraising efforts

Term-limited Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague announced his candidacy for Secretary of State in February 2025 with around $2.1 million in cash on hand amassed from previous campaigns. He beat retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Marcell Strbich by 40 percentage points in the Republican primary.

Strbich, who regularly testifies on Ohio election legislation, entered the primary in May 2025. He received over 4,000 donations in his first five months, with an average contribution of $50.69 mostly coming from small individual donors outside Ohio. But that support slowly dried up, and he received just 1,100 donations with an average contribution of over $250 in the final eight months.

In total, small individual donations comprised just 19% of Strbich’s money raised despite being over 93% of the donors. Strbich also spent over $57,000 of his own money on the campaign, and he reported raising over $37,000 in the final weeks before the primary.

Sprague raised over $66,000 in the same time period, partly thanks to a $16,615 maximum contribution from the Republican State Leadership Committee’s Ohio chapter.

Sprague was also the biggest downballot ad buyer across the entire state in the primary’s home stretch.

Around $1.3 million went to the Strategy Group in April for a pair of ads promoting more strict voting requirements. The Strategy Group is an Ohio-based advertising firm that received national attention in a $220 million ad contract controversy involving former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

He reported over $310,000 in fundraising after the primary and over $1.1 million cash balance.

In the Democratic primary, state Rep. Allison Russo, of Upper Arlington, defeated oncologist Bryan Hambley by 34 percentage points to secure the Democratic nomination.

Hambley entered the primary in January 2025 and consistently outraised Russo after she announced her candidacy in August. That continued in the last few weeks before the primary, as Hambley raised almost $56,000 between April 12 and May 5 while Russo brought in just under $40,000.

Russo reported over $155,000 in fundraising after the primary with a balance of about $72,500, putting the former Ohio House minority leader well behind Sprague in the early stages of the general election.

Auditor: LaRose has large cash on hand advantage over Blackwell

In the state auditor’s race, term-limited Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose faces a newcomer to state politics in Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell. That difference in electoral experience is reflected in the candidates’ campaign committee accounts, with LaRose enjoying almost six times Blackwell’s cash on hand.

Blackwell kept pace with LaRose’s fundraising in the first reporting period after announcing her bid for auditor on Jan. 13, but she slumped in the second. Of the about $67,400 in contributions she reported in the second period, $50,000 came from the Ohio Democratic Party. She also reported about $106,000 in cash balance.

LaRose sourced most of the $84,000 he reported in the second period from large individual donations. He has just over $844,000 cash on hand. Both candidates ran unopposed in their primary elections.

Ohio Supreme Court: Brunner holds upper hand over O’Donnell, Zayas narrows gap behind Hawkins

In the only statewide race involving a Democratic incumbent, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner has a healthy cash advantage over the Republican nominee, former immigration judge Colleen O’Donnell.

Brunner, who has been on the court since 2021, reported about $63,500 in contributions during the second reporting period and almost $116,000 cash balance.

O’Donnell enters the general election after narrowly defeating three primary opponents. While she only beat second-place candidate and Fifth District Court of Appeals Judge Andrew King by 2.4 percentage points, O’Donnell reported raising over four times as much as King in 2026. She reported just under $20,000 in contributions in the second reporting period, with over $73,000 cash on hand.

Democratic challenger and First District Court of Appeals judge Marilyn Zayas gained significant ground on Republican Justice Dan Hawkins in the second period. Zayas reported raising over $94,000 and about $190,500 cash on hand while Hawkins reported $31,300 in contributions and about $226,800 in balance. The gap in cash on hand had been over $100,000 after the first reporting period.

The next reporting deadline will be July 31. The deadline to register to vote in this year’s general election is October 5.