Incumbent state legislators, Santucci lead in raising money

Incumbent state legislators, Santucci lead in raising money

The Republican incumbents in three Ohio General Assembly races in the Mahoning Valley, seeking re-election this year, have healthy cash balances in their campaign funds while Nick Santucci, running for the 64th Ohio House District seat, has the second-most money in his account of any state legislative candidate locally.

Leading the way in the Valley is state Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, seeking re-election to the 59th House District seat, with $235,320 in his campaign fund as of Dec. 31, according to a recent filing with the Ohio secretary of state.

Cutrona received $161,864 during the second half of 2021 and spent $6,860.

Cutrona was appointed May 28, 2020, to fill the remainder of Don Manning's Ohio House term. Manning died March 20, 2020.

Among Cutrona's biggest donors were the Mahoning County Republican Party's State Candidate Fund with $15,000, the Ohio Carpenters' political action committee with $10,000, $7,500 from the Ohio Plumbers and Pipefitters PAC and $5,000 each from local businessmen Bruce Zoldan and J.J. Cafaro.

The $235,320 surplus is because of money he carried over from his previous filings.

The state legislative districts are the subject of a second constitutional challenge over gerrymandering concerns seeking to change their lines. An initial lawsuit against the first legislative maps found those districts to be unconstitutional.

But Cutrona's district, which is a solid Republican one, isn't likely to see much of a change.

The district includes all of Mahoning County except Youngstown, Austintown, Struthers, Lowellville, Campbell and Coitsville -- as those communities are in the 58th District -- as well as three townships in northwest Columbiana County.

Canfield Councilman Bruce Neff, his Democratic challenger, didn't file a campaign finance report.

64TH DISTRICT

Santucci, a Howland Republican, is running in the 64th House District, which Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission drew to give an advantage to Democrats.

But Santucci has a significant financial advantage over the two Democrats who filed for the seat: Vincent Peterson II of Howland and Bria Bennett of Warren.

Santucci collected $91,001 in the second half of 2021 and spent $4,236. His biggest contribution of $13,704 came from Regina Mitchell, president of Warren Fabricating.

With money he raised in the first half of the year, Santucci had $105,764 in his campaign fund as of Dec. 31. It was the second-most, behind Cutrona, among all Valley state legislative candidates.

In comparison, Peterson received $45,457 and spent $24,830.93 in the second half of 2021.

His biggest contributors were Robert Korandovich of Galena, Ohio, founder and owner of Korenergy, with $5,000; and Samson Murray, a Lordstown retiree, with $3,500.

Peterson's biggest expense was $11,000 to Danny Thomas Jr. to serve as his campaign manager.

With a $670 carryover from the first half of the year, Peterson had $21,296 in his fund as of Dec. 31.

Bennett raised $5,163 and spent $3,054 in the second half of last year and ended 2021 with a $2,108 surplus.

Incumbent state Rep. Michael J. O'Brien, D-Warren, cannot run for re-election because of the state's term limits law. Instead, he's running for Trumbull County commissioner. He had $63,867.61 in his campaign fund as of Dec. 31.

Under the existing map, the 64th would include the cities of Warren, Niles, Girard and Hubbard as well as the village of McDonald and the townships of Liberty, Weatherfield, Howland and Vienna and a part of Warren Township.

65TH DISTRICT

In Trumbull County, the other district, renamed the 65th from the current 63rd, would include the rest of the county as well as more than half of Portage County in a safe Republican district.

No Democrat filed for the seat.

Incumbent Mike Loychik, R-Bazetta, who is running for a second two-year term, raised $79,661.26 and spent $22,636.55 in the second half of 2021.

His major donors were Mitchell with $13,704; the International Operating Engineers PAC with $10,000; Chris Oldham, president of Gateway Royalty, a fracking company in eastern Ohio, with $10,000; $5,000 each from two other Gateway Royalty officials; and $5,000 from J.J. Cafaro.

Loychik's biggest expenses were $11,120 to H&F Strategies of Chagrin Falls for what was described as "marketing," and $10,000 to the Ohio House Republican Alliance, the House Republicans' campaign arm.

With a small carryover from the first half of last year, Loychik ended 2021 with a $60,605 surplus as of Dec. 31.

Randy Law, a Warren Township Republican and former state legislator, filed to run against Loychik in the GOP primary. He did not file campaign finance reports for 2021 with the secretary of state.

MAHONING COUNTY

In the 33rd Ohio Senate District, incumbent Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, spent and raised no money in the second half of 2021. He had $50,486.63 in his account from previous fundraising activity as of Dec. 31.

He's being challenged by Robert Hagan, a Youngstown Democrat and a former state legislator. Hagan also had no financial activity in the second half of 2021. He had $1,279.47 in his account from previous campaigns as of Dec. 31.

The proposed Senate district would include all of Mahoning, Columbiana and Carroll counties and is considered safe for Republicans.

The 58th Ohio House District seat is open because incumbent Michele Lepore-Hagan, D-Youngstown, can't seek another term as a result of the state's term limits law.

Lepore-Hagan reported having $13,774 in her campaign fund as of Dec. 31.

Of the three Democrats who filed to replace Lepore-Hagan, only Youngstown Councilwoman Lauren McNally, D-5th Ward, filed a campaign finance report.

It showed McNally raised $6,984.48 and spent $1,927 in the second half of 2021. She had $5,057.48 as of Dec. 31.

The other candidates for that seat -- Ronald Shadd and Wayne Penny Jr. -- didn't file campaign finance reports.

No Republicans filed for the seat.

The district, which is considered solid Democrat, includes Youngstown, Austintown, Struthers, Lowellville, Campbell and Coitsville.