Gavel Grab

This article comes in today from the Toledo Blade about the race in the Ohio Supreme Court between Justice Evelyn Stratton, a Republican, and Judge Peter Sikora, a Democrat. The article discusses how Stratton and Sikora differ on why this year’s election has been so quiet. The most interesting tidbit from this article comes from Stratton as she boasts about her campaign’s war chest:

Justice Stratton, 55, of Worthington, is seeking a third six-year term on the court. Polls have shown Justice Stratton with low name recognition among Ohio voters, despite being the only court candidate this year earning the Ohio State Bar Association’s highest rating of “highly recommended.”

She expects her campaign to raise about $1 million this year, about half as much as she raised six years ago when the philosophical control of the Supreme Court was at stake.

Ohio has had many of the costliest state Supreme Court elections in the last 15 years. Indeed, in 2002, Stratton raised $1.9 million, according to the National Institute in Money and State Politics. Her top sector of support came from the health industry, which contributed $359,000.

According to September’s campaign report, Stratton has raised over $760,000, compared with $130,000 raised by Sikora. Stratton has received at least $2,000 from PACs like Time Warner, The Ohio Gun Collectors, and Friends of Ohio Hospital.

The Ohio Supreme Court election is covered in a previous Gavel Grab post. Also, the Brennan Center is covering the Ohio races on its Buying Time page.

Tags: Big Money Spending, Contributions, Judge Sikora, Justice Stratton, Ohio Supreme Court Election, PACs