Iott outspending Kaptur 4-to-1 in 9th District battle

10/16/2010

Republican Rich Iott has spent $1.5 million so far in his campaign to take over the 9th Congressional District, outspending his incumbent, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), by a roughly 4-to-1 ratio, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The report shows he loaned his campaign $1,378,100, which allowed it to buy $472,000 worth of TV time in the most recent quarter, reflecting the heavy emphasis the Iott campaign has put on television advertising.

Mr. Iott's quarterly report, for the three-month period from July 1 through Sept. 30, shows that he spent $893,164 and ended with $42,722 cash in his account.

During the entire campaign, he has received $183,389 in contributions from individuals and political action committees.

Miss Kaptur's quarterly report shows $381,347 in expenditures so far, $254,742 of that in the most recent quarter.

She received $428,283 in total contributions so far. Because she entered the race with money in her campaign account, Miss Kaptur still had $916,257 cash on hand as of Sept. 30.

A spokesman for Mr. Iott said the Monclova Township businessman had to spend more money to get his message out than Miss Kaptur, who is already well known.

"Rich Iott is a political newcomer. Marcy Kaptur has been in office for 28 years," spokesman Matthew Parker said. "Rich Iott needs to spend enough money to get his name recognition and drive his messages."

Mary Chris Skeldon, spokesman for Miss Kaptur, said Miss Kaptur is running the campaign exactly the way she wants to run it.

"On election night it will be the votes that are counted, not the dollars spent," Miss Kaptur said, in a statement relayed through Ms. Skeldon. "I will run my election like I always have - person to person and block to block."

Mr. Iott's receipts include $5,000 on Sept. 22 from the Freedom Project, a political action committee headed by U.S. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader.

The news Oct. 8 that Mr. Iott had engaged in historical re-enactments wearing the uniform of a soldier in Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS drew a denunciation on Sunday from the House minority whip, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia.

But Donald Seymour, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner, said Mr. Boehner would not ask for his contribution to be returned.

Mr. Parker said there was no need for Mr. Boehner to seek a refund.

"Mr. Cantor does not speak for the Republican Party," Mr. Parker said. He said the Republican Party remains behind Mr. Iott and predicted Mr. Iott will win the election.

Other big contributors to Mr. Iott were: National Federation of Independent Businesses Safe Trust, $2,500; William L. Waldock, $2,400, of Sandusky; Allan Block of Toledo, chairman of Block Communications Inc., parent company of The Blade, $2,000; Edward J. Shultz of Sylvania, $2,000; Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, $1,500, and Patricia S. Beat of Toledo, $1,400.

Mr. Iott's major expenditures were to his political consultants, Wenzel Strategies of Toledo and Front Porch Strategies of Columbus. The Iott report also shows contributions totaling $79,000 to the Ohio Republican Party.

Included in the list of contributions to the Iott campaign was $1,000 on Aug. 14 from Blade Managing Editor Dave Murray. However, Mr. Murray said he did not make the contribution.

"It is my practice as a newsman never to take sides in a political race," Mr. Murray said.

He said he brought the error to the attention of the Federal Election Commission and to the Iott campaign.

Mr. Parker said the contribution came as a cashier's check lacking an address and the campaign treasurer erroneously matched it with Mr. Murray, whose name and Blade title appear in a campaign database.

He said the contribution came from another David Murray, who lives on East Harrison Street in Maumee.

Miss Kaptur's biggest contributors were political action committees, including American Systems Corp. PAC, International Longshoremen's Association, Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Stewardship, United Steelworkers of America Political Action Fund, American Federation of Teachers, Carpenters Legislative Improvement Committee, and Honeywell Employee Citizenship Fund, all at $5,000; National Education Association Fund for Children, $4,000; General Dynamics Voluntary PAC and American Association for Justice PAC, $3,000, and International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trade, $2,500.

Her largest individual donors were Brian Bennett of Maumee; Laurence Bettcher of Huron, Ohio; Joseph Calabrese of Cleveland; Sophia Moxson of Hudson, Ohio; Marjory Siegel of Rockville, Md.; Anne Timonere-Bennett of Maumee; Michael Winiasz of Sheffield Village, Ohio, and Teresa Winiasz of Amherst, Ohio, all at $2,400, the maximum individual contribution.

One of her contributors was Carol Wedding, president of Imaging Systems Technology of Toledo, a defense contractor that has received federal contracts through Miss Kaptur's insertion of spending "earmarks" in the federal budget.

Ms. Wedding contributed $1,000 to the campaign.

Contact Tom Troy at:

tomtroy@theblade.com

or 419-724-6058.