Incumbent Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) has a considerable cash advantage over Democrat Ted Strickland, the former governor of Ohio who is running to unseat him in the November election.
Strickland’s campaign announced Friday that it raised $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2016, which will leave $2.7 million in the bank after expenses.
"The strong, grassroots support our campaign is receiving is more proof that Ted’s message of fighting for working families is resonating with Ohioans," Rebecca Pearcey, Strickland’s campaign manager, said in a statement Friday.
While the campaign celebrated the influx of contributions, Strickland will only have one-fifth the amount of cash on hand as his competitor.
Portman’s campaign reported earlier this week that it netted $2.4 million in the first quarter, which will raise its campaign account to $13.5 million after expenses. Portman has outraised Strickland in each quarter.
A Portman spokesperson called Strickland’s latest fundraising totals "disappointing," pointing to a report last year that the former governor’s advisers had recommended he raise $20 million by this November in order to defeat the incumbent senator.
Since Strickland launched his campaign last February, he has netted about $5.2 million in total, approximately one-fourth of the amount his advisers said he should raise.
"No excuse can hide the fact that at the beginning of the campaign, Ted Strickland said he had a goal of raising $20 million and he’s on pace to raise half of that," Portman spokesman Michawn Rich said Friday. "It’s clear that Ted can’t meet his fundraising goals because people across Ohio remember that when he was governor, Ohio lost more than 350,000 jobs and ranked 48th in job creation."
Still, this was the strongest fundraising quarter for Strickland yet. Vice President Joe Biden headlined a private fundraiser for Strickland in March, where attendees had to pay upwards of $500 each for tickets. The breakfast fundraiser took place just hours after terrorists coordinated suicide bombings in Brussels, killing more than 30 people.
The first quarter report included contributions received between January 1 and March 31 of this year.