BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- Bob Taft and Lee Fisher have spent $12.4 million over the past four months on their race to become Ohio's next governor, with most of the cash fueling a heated war of TV ads.
With less than two weeks remaining until Election Day, the campaign is on track to become the most expensive in state history.
Mr. Fisher, a Democrat and former state attorney general, spent $1.6 million more than Mr. Taft did between June 6 and Oct. 14, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.
However, Mr. Taft, a Republican who currently serves as secretary of state, headed into the final two weeks of the campaign with six times the amount of cash on hand reported by Mr. Fisher.
The disparities can be attributed in part to when the candidates cut checks for their TV ads. Mr. Fisher already has bought his ads for the final days of the campaign, while Mr. Taft has not.
Nonetheless, Brett Buerck, Mr. Taft's spokesman, said his candidate will be a constant presence on the airwaves through the Nov. 3 election.
"Our TV buy is not just a wave, it's a tsunami," said Mr. Buerck.
Mr. Fisher has long expected to be outspent, but his campaign has spent enough to ensure his ads are seen regularly across the state. "The fact is, we are going to have enough resources to get our message out," said Judy Barbao, Mr. Fisher's spokeswoman. When it comes to raising money, the two men have been near equals. From January 1997 to Oct. 14, Mr. Taft raised $8.6 million, compared with $8.3 million collected by Mr. Fisher, according to reports filed with the secretary of state's office.
By contrast, two minor party candidates for governor spent about $3,300 combined during the past four months.
Outside of the race for governor, the latest campaign finance reports show Republicans are making an 11th-hour push to assist Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters in his race for state treasurer.
The Ohio Republican Party contributed $400,000 to Mr. Deters' political fund in the first half of October alone. TV and radio ads accounted for nearly 90 percent of the $1.2 million Mr. Deters spent between early June and mid-October.
Mr. Deters' Democratic opponent, Summit County Treasurer John Donofrio, has spent less than half that, despite $250,000 from the Ohio Democratic Party last month.
State Treasurer Ken Blackwell was the big spender among the down-ticket candidates, tapping his campaign fund for $1.6 million in the race to replace Mr. Taft as secretary of state. Democrat Charleta Tavares, a state representative from Columbus, trailed far behind, spending $240,948.
In the race for attorney general, Democratic challenger Richard Cordray outspent Republican incumbent Betty Montgomery, $915,067 to $887,292. But Ms. Montgomery still had $1.6 million on hand, compared with $42,784 reported by Mr. Cordray.
Meanwhile, incumbent Auditor Jim Petro, a Republican, has easily outspent his Democratic challenger, Louis Strike of Symmes Township. Mr. Petro spent just over $1 million during the past four months, while Mr. Strike spent $80,070.
