Watch: Vivek Ramaswamy’s full 2024 RNC speech
Full speech by Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Central Ohio’s top political donors have generously bet on some losers in the 2024 presidential race, according to Federal Election Commission data analyzed by The Dispatch.
Of the more than 500 donors who listed a central Ohio address and gave $1,000 or more to a candidate’s primary campaign fund through the end of June, 126 of those residents gave a total of $317,418 to Columbus entrepreneur and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. The 38-year-old first-time candidate withdrew from the race in January.
His average major donation was over $2,500, and he raised the second-largest amount of any candidate in the region except President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race on July 21 and left his campaign and campaign funds to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Nikki Haley, another unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate, also received $113,635 from 55 major donors in central Ohio, an average donation of over $2,000.
Since the FEC’s current data for Ohio only shows donations through June 30, Vice President Kamala Harris has undoubtedly raised significantly more since late July, when she broke national fundraising records every day after President Biden stepped down and endorsed his vice president as the party’s new torchbearer.
On July 21, Harris inherited Biden’s $100 million campaign fund. Because Harris was officially on Biden’s campaign list and both Biden and Harris had officially donated money, she was able to take over the funds without complications.
As of June 30, the former Biden camp had raised more than $461,306 from 219 central Ohio donors who gave at least $1,000, averaging over $2,100 in major donations.
Former President Donald Trump was the third major donor from Central Ohio, raising $190,195 from 105 Central Ohio residents. These donors gave an average of just over $1,800 to Trump.
Trump’s main political campaign, Donald Trump for President 2024 Inc., and Harris’ fund, Harris for President, received about equal support in central Ohio from people giving less than $1,000. Harris had 1,124 of these smaller donors, the most of the candidate group, with a median donation of $250. Trump had 1,100 small donors and a median donation of $234.
Following the leaders were: Team Kennedy, the campaign for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ($63,211 from 101 total central Ohio donors); Marianne Williamson for president ($18,801 from nine donors); Jill Stein for president in 2024 ($5,160 from 48 donors); Chris Christie for president ($4,888 from 12 donors) and Mike Pence for president ($3,896 from eight donors).
Biggest donors from Central Ohio for Trump, Harris and Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy’s biggest donors included Marat Babahanyan of Bexley, who records show gave $10,000 over the two-year period; Dr. Pete Edwards, co-owner of the Columbus Crew, who gave $9,900; and Michael Triplett of New Albany and Dr. Milroy Samuel of Westerville, who also gave $9,900 each.
Harris’ biggest donors this cycle were: Nancy J. Kingsley ($7,600); Susan Smudz ($6,707), both of Columbus; and 13 others who gave $6,600, including restaurant owner Cameron Mitchell and homebuilder Robert Schottenstein.
Trump’s largest local donors, according to the database, were: Thomas R. Gross Jr. of Columbus ($5,200); John Smallridge of Westerville ($3,625); John Meeks of Columbus ($3,300); and Tom Wagoner of Powell ($3,261).
One way candidates and various party organizations can jointly raise larger donations in the hundreds of thousands of dollars is through a “joint fundraising committee,” in which funds are divided among the respective political organizations. That’s also how central Ohioans wrote some big checks to Trump and Harris this election cycle, The Dispatch found.
The Harris Victory Fund has raised nearly $575,000 from 1,707 central Ohio residents. Four people gave more than $20,000: Lee Schackelford of Bexley ($25,250); Cameron Mitchell ($25,000); Columbus attorney Danile Skestos ($25,000); and Deborah C. Lindsay, owner of Crown Staffing ($20,300). All of the five-figure donations came in January, when Biden was still the presumptive Democratic nominee, and none of the data on joint fundraising from Ohio goes past June 30.
The Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee raised $315,418 from central Ohio, according to The Dispatch, but from a far larger group of 7,447 donors, with the average contribution being just under $300. The largest local donor was Dublin attorney Peggy Guzzo, who gave $5,210.
Wexner supports…Kasich?
The data also showed that local billionaire Les Wexner made several donations, including $100,000 to Kasich for America, the political action committee of former Ohio Governor John Kasich, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2016 and was defeated by Trump. The November 2023 donation was a little less than a third of the total amount Kasich raised during the period. Wexner, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on the donation.
Donations to Kasich will support “a small but dedicated political team working to amplify his voice and advance the important policy reforms he seeks for a more prosperous country,” said Jim Lynch, a spokesman for Kasich.
Wexner also donated $250,000 to the Buckeye Leadership Fund, a super PAC that supported Ohio Senator Matt Dolan in the spring Republican primary against Bernie Moreno, who won the party’s nomination.
@ReporterBush
