JD Vance raises more than $1 million in second fundraising quarter for Ohio Senate bid

Ohio Senate candidate J. D. Vance announced on Wednesday that he raised more than $1 million in the second quarter of his campaign, a smaller amount than he raised in his first three months.

According to Vance’s campaign, small donors — those who gave contributions of $250 or less — made up 90 percent of the latest quarter’s donors. The campaign also saw a rise of 4,610 new donors from the prior quarter. 

“It is humbling to know that Ohioans truly believe in my campaign and that so many are willing to contribute to our shared vision for Ohio,” Vance, who is running as a Republican, said in a statement. “Ohioans are sick and tired of establishment politicians selling them cheap talking points and forgetting about them once they’ve made new friends in Washington.”

Still, it’s a smaller haul than the amount of money he raised in the first three months of his campaign, $1.75 million. It is also close to a third of the $2.9 million that Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) earlier this month reported raising for his own Senate campaign in the last quarter of 2021.

The announcement comes amid a packed Republican primary for the Ohio Senate seat, which also includes former Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel, former GOP chair Jane Timken, state Sen. Matt Dolan, investment banker Mike Gibbons and businessman Bernie Moreno.

Former President Trump has not endorsed a candidate yet for the Ohio Senate seat, which is currently held by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who announced last year that he would not seek reelection. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) earlier this month said that she would was endorsing Timken.

Cook Political Report’s latest Senate race ratings, as of November, rated the Ohio Senate seat as “lean Republican.”