Brown has raised $27M in Senate race

Renacci spokesman says Brown got money from lobbyists and ‘Hollywood friends.’

Sen. Sherrod Brown has raised nearly $27.1 million so far in his quest to receive a third term in the U.S. Senate — a figure higher even than Sen. Rob Portman’s total fund-raising in 2016.

Brown, an Ohio Democrat, had almost $8.2 million on hand for his contest against Republican Rep. Jim Renacci, a Wadsworth Republican. Between July 1 and Sept. 30, he raised $3.75 million according to a summary of his campaign finance report. He spent $6.6 million during that period.

By comparison, Portman, who held the previous Senate fund-raising record for Ohio, reported raising a total of $25.8 million after the general election in 2016.

The campaign finance reports are due Oct. 15. Renacci has yet to release his campaign finance figures yet, but as of June 30, he had raised $6.2 million, including $4 million of his own money.

Leslie Shedd, a spokeswoman for Renacci for Center, said it’s no surprise “Brown is filling his campaign war chest with big checks from lobbyists and his Hollywood friends.” She said Brown “cares more about pleasing his liberal special interest donors and Chuck Schumer than he cares about fighting for the people of Ohio.”

Brown’s campaign said 38,544 individuals contributed to his campaign last quarter, bringing the number of contributors for the cycle up to 155,644.

“Sherrod’s respect for the dignity of work and his record of fighting for Ohio’s priorities continue to give our campaign grassroots momentum as we head towards Election Day,” said Justin Barasky, Friends of Sherrod Brown campaign manager.

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