In the 2012 election, the Kochs and a bevy of their right-wing cohorts made an all-out assault on Sen. Sherrod Brown, a progressive stalwart, spending over $20 million to try to take him down. Now they're back in Ohio, and have made keeping Ted Strickland out of the Senate a primary goal. They started spending all the way back in August of last year, with $1.4 million in ads against him, through their Americans for Prosperity group, in his primary.
Now they've launched a nearly $2 million campaign against him in the general election through their Freedom Partners PAC. This is all helping to make the race the costliest in the nation, $11.5 million so far, according to the Sunlight Foundation.
Some of that spending occurred during the Democratic primary in which Mr. Strickland defeated challenger P.G. Sittenfeld of Cincinnati.
The $11.5 million figure includes spending by the campaigns, which are rigorously monitored by the Federal Elections Commission, and spending by outside groups — which are not regulated as closely.
According to Sunlight, pro-Portman and anti-Strickland super PACs and federal PACs have spent more than $2.6 million to help Mr. Portman keep his Senate seat. The biggest outside spender so far in Ohio is Freedom Partners, with a bill so far of $1.8 million to oppose Mr. Strickland. One of the big donors to Freedom Partners is wealthy businessman Charles Koch, who gave $3 million.
They couldn't kick Sherrod Brown out of the Senate, so now they're doing their damnedest to keep Ted Strickland out because they hate Ohio. We know that as a fact because they hate the state's famous zoo. Let's fight the Kochs in Ohio.
Sherrod Brown needs better company in the Senate. Please give $3 to send Ted Strickland there to help him.