U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli raised almost as much money in less than three weeks leading up to his Nov. 5 reelection than Michael L. Kripchak, his Democratic challenger in the 6th Congressional District race, collected in his entire campaign.

Rulli’s post-general campaign finance report shows the Salem Republican raised $77,951 between Oct. 17 and Nov. 25 with all but $2 raised on or before the Nov. 5 election. In comparison, Kripchak of Youngstown raised a total of $78,967 during the entirety of his campaign and only $4,900 in the post-general period with nothing received after the Nov. 5 election.

Rulli received 66.7% of the vote compared to 33.3% for Kripchak. The race was considerably closer in the June 11 special election with Rulli winning by 9.3% for the unexpired term of Republican Bill Johnson.

Of the money Rulli raised in the post-general period, $16,626 came from individual donors, $10,000 from political action committees and $51,325 came from the Rulli Victory Fund, a PAC created by Rulli’s campaign committee and Ohio Valley Leadership PAC, which he also operates.

The victory fund allows Rulli to raise additional money above the normal dollar limits of a campaign fund. Money raised by the Rulli Victory Fund can be transferred to his campaign as well as his leadership PAC. The latter allows Rulli to raise money for other Republicans and pay for certain expenses. Several members of Congress have campaign committees, PACs and leadership PACs.

Rulli formed the committees in December 2023.

Rulli for Ohio, his campaign committee, raised a total of $1,134,667 as of Nov. 25.

The fund raised $592,455 from individual donors, $428,336 from PACs — mostly after Rulli won the June 11 special election — as well as $83,399 transferred from the Rulli Victory Fund, a $30,400 loan from the congressman and a small amount in refunds and rebates.

Rulli’s campaign fund spent $1,027,512, including $71,330 during the post-general period.

His largest post-general expenses were $27,200 to The Paroska Group Inc. of Cleveland for fundraising consulting, $16,000 to Spencer Federal LLC of East Liverpool for campaign consulting, printing and campaign mail, and $14,000 to Meeting Street Research LLC of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, for research consulting.

Rulli reported having $107,155 in his campaign fund as of Nov. 25.

Rulli also listed $14,731 in campaign debt with $14,000 owed to Meeting Street Research and $731 to Poolhouse Agency LLC of Richmond, Virginia, for polling.

The Rulli Victory Fund raised and spent $75,170 and reported having no money as of Nov. 25.

Ohio Valley Leadership PAC received $22,213 from the Rulli Victory Fund in the post-general period and reported spending $300 to a compliance consulting firm.

Kripchak’s campaign fund went into the post-general period with $4,601 of debt and ended it with $32,529 of debt.

Kripchak raised $4,900 during the period and spent $32,828.

His largest post-general expenses were $13,700 to Colossus Strategies and Consulting of Canfield for campaign consulting, advertising and text messages and $6,375 to WFMJ-TV of Youngstown for commercials.

For the year, Kripchak raised $78,967 and spent $111,496.

The 6th Congressional District includes all of Mahoning, Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson, Belmont, Harrison, Monroe, Noble and Washington counties and portions of Stark and Tuscarawas counties

The district has an 18% advantage for Republicans based on voting trends in partisan statewide elections over the past decade. Rulli won by 33.4% in the Nov. 5 election.

BILL JOHNSON

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, where he served 13 years.

14TH DISTRICT

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, raised $92,123 during the post-general filing period on his way to winning a seventh two-year term representing the 14th Congressional District.

Joyce captured 63.4% of the vote to 36.6% for Democrat Brian Bob Kenderes.

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

Of the money raised by Joyce in the post-general period, between Oct. 17 and Nov. 25, $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 advisor on Joyce’s campaign and as senior advisor 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 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.