Ohio Republican Senate candidate Matt Dolan has $3.9 million on hand after the second quarter of the year as he gears up for a hotly contested primary season.
According to Federal Election Commission records, Dolan, an Ohio state senator and businessman, raised $308,511 in the second quarter and donated $1 million to his campaign. In total, he’s donated $4 million to his campaign.
Despite the hefty war chest Dolan has after the second quarter, the other announced candidate, businessman Bernie Moreno, significantly outraised him this quarter.
Moreno announced he had raised $2.2 million this quarter, not including loans. At the time of this article, Moreno had not yet filed with the FEC.
Both Dolan and Moreno have the ability to self-fund as much as they need, as both are wealthy and successful businessmen. They are vying for the Republican nomination to face Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the longtime Democratic incumbent.
Brown significantly outraised both candidates this quarter, raking in $5 million, and has $8.7 million on hand.
Brown was first elected in 2007 and, since 2011, has been the only statewide elected Democrat in Ohio outside of the state Supreme Court justices.
The Ohio Senate race is rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report and is one of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) top targets in taking back control of the Senate.
Dolan and Moreno both ran for the open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio in 2022. Dolan came in third in the primary behind Josh Mandel and now-Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). Moreno dropped out of the primary after having a private conversation with former President Donald Trump.
Also expected to get in soon is Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has been teasing a bid on social media over the past week. He recently posted a picture of an FEC “Statement of Organization” form with the filing date being filled out as July 15.