U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, raised nearly $2.5 million on his way to winning a seventh two-year term representing the 14th Congressional District while his failed Democratic challenger sits in the Lake County jail.

Joyce captured 63.4% of the vote to 36.6% for Democrat Brian Bob Kenderes during the Nov. 5 election.

During the post-general election filing period, between Oct. 17 and Nov. 25, Joyce received $92,123 in contributions.

Of the money raised by Joyce in the post-general period, $57,600 came from PACs.

Overall for this campaign, Joyce raised $2,483,765 with $1,567,473 ­– 63.1% — coming from PACs.

Joyce’s fund also received $5,815 in interest during the post-general period and a total of $90,468 for this campaign.

In the post-general period, PACs giving Joyce the maximum $5,000 contribution amount were the International Association of Sheet Metal Workers, American Israel Public Affairs Committee and America’s Credit Union.

In the post-general period, Joyce spent $89,969 with his largest expenses being $31,500 to Anna Romeo of Bryn Mawr, Pa., for fundraising consulting, $26,087 to Fifth Third Bank for credit card payments and $22,196 to Facebook for advertising. Romeo works as a political adviser on Joyce’s campaign and as senior adviser on his congressional staff.

She’s his former congressional chief of staff.

For this election, Joyce spent a total of $1,525,426.

With a large carryover from previous campaigns and filing quarters, Joyce had $2,842,160 in his fund as of Nov. 25.

Joyce is among the Republicans to express interest in getting appointed to the U.S. Senate seat currently held by J.D. Vance, who was elected vice president and will resign as a senator prior to his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Gov. Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican, will make the appointment with the seat then up for grabs in the 2026 election for the final two years of Vance’s unexpired term. A 2028 election for the position will be for a full six-year term.

Joyce said: “It is an honor to have my name considered and I have tremendous faith that Gov. DeWine will pick someone who will be a workhorse, not a show pony, who will work hard for the best interests of Ohio and our country.”

Kenderes never filed a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission.

Kenderes pleaded guilty July 9 to a fifth-degree felony of filing a false voter registration by claiming he lives in Mentor on his nominating petitions to get on the ballot for this race and on a voter registration form.

He was to start serving a 30-day Lake County jail sentence starting Nov. 9, four days after the general election. But he first got it postponed to Nov. 13 and then Nov. 17, when he began the 30-day sentence.

There is no law requiring a congressional candidate to live in the district to seek that office. The candidate only needs to reside in Ohio.

Kenderes listed addresses in Strongsville and Garfield Heights, both in Cuyahoga County, on court documents.

The 14th District includes all of Trumbull, Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga and all but two communities in Portage County.

The district has a 9.7% Republican advantage based on statewide partisan voting results during the past decade. Joyce beat Kenderes by 26.8% in last month’s election. Joyce won the 2022 election by 23.5% over Democrat Matt Kilboy.

BILL JOHNSON

Republican Bill Johnson left Congress on Jan. 21 to become Youngstown State University president. He then closed his campaign fund, transferring the money to a PAC that existed for a few days and then finally on June 30 to his leadership PAC, called Belief in Life and Liberty PAC, or Bill’s PAC.

Johnson has said he’s undecided if he is going to give money to candidates and wants to use some of it to benefit YSU. Giving the money directly to YSU isn’t permissible under FEC laws.

Johnson gave $20,000 on Oct. 17 to the Youngstown State University Foundation, which provides scholarships to YSU students as well as for projects and programs at the school.

Prior to that, Johnson’s PAC gave $2,000 to the Penguin Club on July 24, $5,242 to it a day later as well as $1,000 on Jan. 26 from his then-campaign fund to the booster organization that supports student athletes at YSU.

Bill’s PAC continues to collect interest, including $2,763 in the post-general period.

The fund had a $848,238 surplus as of Nov. 25 and has spent little of its money. It received an $873,721 transfer on June 30 when Johnson closed his other funds.

Johnson is permitted to make an unlimited financial transfer to any national, state or local political party, but hasn’t given any money to any of those entities since his Jan. 21 resignation from Congress. He represented the 6th Congressional District for 13 years.