Why such generosity?
State law prohibits statewide candidates from carrying over too much cash from the previous election cycle. After Cordray beat Republican Mike Crites in a special election in November 2008, he had $1.1 million left in his war chest.
So rather than refund much of it or donate it to the state or a charity, Cordray directed the cash to his political allies before the deadline for the state’s “excess funds law.”
Now those allies are sending resources back to Cordray’s account through in-kind contributions or large checks.
‘At best, it looks bad,’ GOP exec says
Curt Mayhew, campaign finance manager for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, said the law prohibits “parking” money with an agreement on how it will be spent or returned. But proving that such a deal existed “would require some sort of smoking memo,” Mayhew said.
“It does kind of raise an eyebrow, but I don’t think it’s something we would see as an indication of a problem, at least on its face,” Mayhew said.
Ohio Republican Party Executive Director Jason Mauk said Cordray’s fundraising should be thoroughly investigated.
“It certainly has the appearance of campaign money laundering, so at best, it looks bad and at worst, he’s breaking the law. Either way, Ohioans deserve a higher standard from their chief law officer,” Mauk said.
Cordray campaign spokesman Adam Herman said, “These county parties have historically had a close working relationship with the attorney general’s campaign, and he was pleased to be in a position to contribute to their party organizations. The contributions are not a violation of the Excess Funds Law.”
The Franklin County Democratic Party gave Cordray’s campaign $18,000 and the Summit County Democratic Party gave him $30,000, on April 19 and 20, respectively. Less than two months later, on June 10, the two county parties gave a total of $45,000 and the next day, the state party donated $400,000 to Cordray’s campaign.
Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action’s money and politics project, said the money shuffle doesn’t pass the smell test.
“I’m sure he’s following the letter of the law. It’s certainly not following the spirit of the law,” she said.
Aside from the $765,000 in donations, Cordray’s campaign spent a meager $11,598 over the first six months of this year, his finance reports show. During the same time, the state party made $54,635 in in-kind contributions to the Cordray campaign, covering bills for catering, printing and other expenses.
Meanwhile, Cordray’s opponent, Republican Mike DeWine, spent $192,692 during the same reporting period. He received $110,000 in cash donations from the Ohio Republican Party.
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