Ohio's U.S. Senate race is among the most expensive in the nation, thanks in part to millions of dollars from key political players.
Republican Sen. Jon Husted is working to prevent a comeback by former Sen. Sherrod Brown in the Nov. 3 election. The winner will serve out the rest of Vice President JD Vance’s term, which ends in 2028 — meaning another campaign could be right around the corner.
The campaigns and their allies have funneled more than $460 million into the race, according to AdImpact. At this rate, it will likely blow past spending in Brown's record-shattering contest against Sen. Bernie Moreno in 2024.
So, who's bankrolling all those ads you see on television?
Trump, Elon Musk lead outside spending in Ohio
Much of the
money comes from super PACs affiliated with Senate Republicans and Democrats. The Democratic-backed WinSenate spent nearly $45 million in Ohio as of Oct. 22, while the GOP Senate Leadership Fund kicked in $69.1 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
But the race also grabbed the attention of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest person.
The Trump-backed No Going Back PAC has spent over $27 million to attack Brown and tout Husted, FEC records show. Musk's America PAC poured roughly $9.3 million into Ohio, even as the SpaceX and Tesla CEO spends heavily on the Senate race in his home state of Texas.
Other notable spenders include:
- Defend American Jobs, a pro-cryptocurrency PAC that has spent more than $46 million on Ohio's Senate race. Crypto groups lobbied heavily against Brown during his 2024 race against Moreno.
- Ohio Flyer PAC, which has spent around $8 million on ads that sometimes appear to use artificial intelligence. Backers of the pro-Husted group include Dayton-area real estate investor Larry Connor, Jimmy and Dee Haslam and former Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican who endorsed Brown in 2024.
- Enough Promises Ohio, a new PAC with GOP ties that's touting socialist independent candidate Greg Levy. The group is nearing a $1.7 million investment and funded by the Conservative Americans PAC, FEC records show.
- LCV Victory Fund and other environmental groups that have spent a combined $20 million on ads attacking Husted over data centers and his ties to FirstEnergy, according to data shared with the statehouse bureau.
Who's backing the campaigns?
Overall, Republicans have spent more on advertising than Democrats, according to AdImpact. But Brown has consistently maintained a fundraising advantage over Husted.
Brown received $68.4 million for the election cycle so far, compared to $19.9 million for Husted, according to filings released Oct. 22. Both campaigns had around $4 million heading into the final days of the race.
Those figures include contributions from individual donors in Ohio and across the country.
Beyond that, Husted has gotten support from PACs affiliated with Amazon, Anthropic, Boeing and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Several union groups are backing Brown, along with the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood and Everytown for Gun Safety.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who's bankrolling Ohio Senate race? Trump and Elon Musk, for starters
