Ohio donors fuel questions of political influence

Every non-judicial election race in Ohio broke spending decade-old records, totaling nearly $70 million in donations this past election, causing reform advocates to question the influence high donations have on legislators.

Gov. George V. Voinovich, who is retiring after 12 years in the U.S. Senate following his two terms as governor, admitted big campaign donors have an advantage to special access to legislators, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

“Truthfully, it has an impact on you,” he said. “Somebody who has a big fundraiser in Ohio and says they want to come in to see you, and, you know, you see those individuals. There’s no question that they’ve got an advantage as a result of doing it.”

Catherine Turcer, director of Ohio Citizen Action’s money in politics project, said the problem does not lie in the concept of donations, but that legislators feel obligated to large donors.

“I don’t think money is evil, and I don’t fault candidates for looking for as much support as they possibly can,” Turcer said. “They’re as caught in the system as much as we are. They need that money to buy those 30-second spots, to go on television.”

Another concern reform advocates have is how transparent the donations are.

“In many ways, 2010 is a watershed year because the floodgates were really opened,” Turcer said.

“For the first time, corporations can give directly to ads without any worries at all. ... There’s just so much money that voters are overwhelmed with so many ads and so much garbage that the money can actually be a disincentive to voting.”

The top 13 campaign donors in Ohio poured more than $25 million into state races since 2000.

Outgoing Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, whose office enforces Ohio campaign-finance laws, said, “No matter how well-intentioned a candidate is, if they’re taking large amounts from donors who are not giving for ideological purposes, there will be tacitly that pressure that they need to give access to those donors, if not actively work to please them.”

Read the Dispatch’s recent report for a detailed report on the largest campaign contributors and recipients.