The three candidates running for the Republican nomination for State Representative in Ohio’s 90th District filed campaign finance reports on January 31. These reports are publicly available on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, and they are linked to the names of the candidates below.
SCDN took a look at these reports to see who’s funding these campaigns. If you expect Ohio State Republican Candidates to only take money from Republican donors, then what we found may surprise you. Please note that this report only includes donations from the current election cycle.
Of all three candidates, Timothy Wheeler fundraised the largest amount of money from outside the 90th District. His top donors include Walter T. Wheeler, the father of the candidate, and John Rust of Indiana, who donated $10,000.
According to Wheeler’s report, 83% of his donations came from John Rust, a registered Democrat from Indiana. Rust is currently running for U.S. Senate in Indiana against Jim Banks, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Rust was heavily criticized by Trump in recent months, with Trump calling on Rust to “cease and desist” using Trump’s likeness in an ad meant to “deceive voters.” Read this article to learn more about John Rust.
Of all three local Ohio State Republican Candidates, Justin Pizzulli raised the most money. However, 71.9% of the money came from out of district, and 52.2% of that money came from political action committees and unions that typically back Democrats, not Republicans.
For example, Pizzulli received $5,000 from the IBEW voluntary PAC fund – a group that endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election in 2024. Additionally, Pizzulli received $1000 each from the Ohio Education Association (OEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which are public-sector unions that typically back Democrats over Republicans. Both the OEA and the AFT lobbied for school closures and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and both organizations support teaching LGBT/transgender ideology to K-12 students.
Pizzulli also received a $500 donation from Rodney Barnett and $750 in donations from Kevin Craft – both are members of the Scioto County Board of Elections, and both serve on the executive committee of the Scioto County Republican Party. Barnett and Craft came under fire in recent weeks after allegations of a conflict of interest arose during the Scioto County Republican Party’s endorsement process, in which the two Board of Elections officials played a key role in whipping votes for their preferred candidates.
Of all the candidates running for State Representative, Gina Collinsworth took the least amount from outside the 90th District, accounting for only 15.6% of her fundraising. SCDN looked at Collinsworth’s reports and was unable to find any liberal-leaning donors in her reports.
Some of Collinsworth’s largest donations include $500 from former drill instructor and candidate for U.S. Congress Tim O’Hara, $1,000 donations from her parents Perry and Sandra Hall, and $250 from Sondra Hash, a retired small business owner.
