BY SANDY THEIS and MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- An apparent mistake in a Republican-written campaign reform law is helping labor unions funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaigns for Democrats.
Lee Fisher, the Democratic candidate for governor, collected at least $84,627 during a 12-day window that allowed unions to donate unlimited funds, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.
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IN OTHER RACES
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Treasurer Ken Blackwell, a Republican running for secretary of state, raised $163,966 in June and July. His total included $5,000 from the Butler County Republican Party, $1,000 from Sam Boymel of PNC Bank in Cincinnati and $2,500 from the Cincinnati law firm of Keating Muething & Klekamp.
Democratic secretary of state candidate Charleta Tavares, a state representative from Columbus, collected $103,956 during the same period. The United Food and Commercial Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees each donated $10,000 to her campaign.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters, the Republican candidate for state treasurer, collected $126,199 during July. The total included $50,000 from the Ohio Republican Party, which can give each statewide candidate up to $515,000 each election cycle.
Summit County Treasurer John Donofrio raised $42,920, with $20,000 of it coming from the United Auto Workers. He also received $2,500 from the Ohio Education Association and $2,500 from the carpenters' political action committee.
In the race for auditor, incumbent Republican Jim Petro raised $63,896. While Democrats traditionally are backed by organized labor, he received $2,500 from the OEA, the state's largest teachers' union.
Cincinnati businessman Louis Strike, the Democratic candidate for auditor, raised $33,860, including $20,000 from the UAW. Mr. Strike, making his first run for statewide office, is expected to help fund his own campaign.
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Campaign law limits to $2,500 the amount individuals and political action committees can give to statewide candidates each election cycle.
The latest reports show Mr. Fisher, who has trailed his GOP rival Bob Taft in political donations, out-raised him by a ratio greater than 2-to-1. The Cleveland Democrat collected about $1.8 million from mid-June through July 31, compared with $787,524 raised by Mr. Taft, a Cincinnati native.
Taft campaign spokesman Brett Buerck said Mr. Fisher's war chest is not an indication of his strength at the polls.
"Money doesn't win campaigns; ideas do," Mr. Buerck said. "We think we're going to win on Bob Taft's ideas."
Top aides to Mr. Fisher said the money helps to position him for a November victory.
"We're extremely pleased by how well things are going," said Alan Melamed, campaign chairman for Mr. Fisher. He noted that just 4.7 percent of the total collected was raised during the 12-day window.
Mr. Fisher's total, however, also includes $515,000 from the Ohio Democratic Party, the maximum amount the party can give. Because political parties are not required to disclose the source of their donations until October, it is unclear how much of that money also came from unions.
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert Bennett insists that any money collected during the 12-day window is an "illegal" campaign contribution. He has filed complaints against the Democrats with the Ohio Elections Commission and is considering legal action that would force Democrats to disclose the source of the party's contributions prior to October.
"We're following Bob Taft's campaign finance fiasco," replied Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Leland. "The Republican Party wrote the law and now wants to change the rules."
Richard Cordray, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, collected slightly more labor money than Mr. Fisher during the 12-day window, a signal that Democratic Party leaders view his underdog campaign as formidable.
Mr. Cordray collected at least $86,500 during the disputed period. During June and July, he raised a total of $187,550.
Incumbent Attorney General Betty Montgomery raised $278,170 during the same period.
The Montgomery campaign released a statement heralding her fund-raising lead.
While it's clear that Ms. Montgomery's campaign fund is considerably larger than Mr. Cordray's, the balance each has is unknown. The new law requires candidates only to report money collected, not money spent. In October, both money raised and spent during the summer will be detailed.
Despite her fund-raising advantage, her campaign is closely monitoring Mr. Cordray's money.
Three people who identified themselves as fund-raisers for Ms. Montgomery pored over the campaign reports, searching for what one termed "illegal donations." One member of the trio telephoned the findings to the Montgomery campaign.
Disagreement over the legality of the donations stems from a 10th District Court of Appeals ruling. It struck down major provisions of a 1995 state law that restricted the use of union dues for political contributions.
The all-Republican, three-judge panel called the law "the rawest form of political censorship."
On behalf of the Republican governor and legislative leaders, Ms. Montgomery appealed and got a stay. On July 1, however, the Ohio Supreme Court refused to hear the case.
A spokesman for the attorney general contends that the stay remains in place because the appeals court has not lifted it.
