U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan says he is seriously interested in running next year for the U.S. Senate, but his latest campaign finance report shows he has less than $20,000 in his federal account.

Two Republicans — U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson and Dave Joyce — who are also considering Senate bids have considerably more money in their campaign coffers.

The year-end report, which encompasses Nov. 24 to Dec. 31, shows Ryan, D-Howland, entered the period with $26,785.82. After raising $45,125.60 and spending $52,724.44, he had $19,186.98 left in his account as of Dec. 31.

A Senate candidate in next year’s race in Ohio needs to raise at least $15 million to be competitive.

In the 2016 election, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, who isn’t running for re-election next year, raised $25.4 million to $10.6 million for Democrat Ted Strickland. Portman beat Strickland by 21.4 percent.

In the 2018 gubernatorial race, Republican Mike DeWine raised $24 million to $19.5 million for Democrat Richard Cordray. DeWine won by 3.7 percent.

In Ryan’s re-election to the 13th Congressional District last year, he raised $1,953,109 — a record for him — in a 7.55 percent victory over Republican Christina Hagan of Marlboro Township. It was Ryan’s closest election in his congressional career, which started 18 years ago.

During the six-plus months Ryan ran for president in 2019, he raised $1,341,246.39, which was the second-least amount of money among the 20-plus Democrats who sought the position.

ASKING FOR MONEY

Since Portman’s Jan. 25 announcement, Ryan has sent five emails to supporters saying he’s considering running for the Senate seat and is asking for contributions.

One email includes a report by The New York Times about Ryan’s potential campaign and that he gets “support from a multiracial working-class coalition of voters” and urges people to “show Tim you’ll be on his team if he jumps into this race by making a donation.”

Ryan and other members of Congress, as well as those who file declarations of candidacy with the Federal Elections Committee, don’t have to file another campaign finance report until the middle of April for activity during the first three months of this year.

In his most recent report, Ryan raised maximum $5,000 contributions from political action committees that represent four unions: United Auto Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Machinists union and SMART-TD for freight railroad workers.

The Ohio IBEW and the national SMART-TD unions already have endorsed Ryan for Senate as has the Painters and Allied Trades union.

Ryan’s biggest expenses were $6,107.21 to Kimberly L. Bubon for salary, $6,000 to Michael Morley, his campaign manager, for consulting, and $4,500 each to A&G Digital of Ann Arbor, Mich., for digital services and to Kimberly Wood and Associates of Medina for fundraising consulting.

His campaign continues to pay a monthly $778.35 lease to General Motors for a vehicle.

The $19,186.98 left in Ryan’s account as of Dec. 31 isn’t even half of what Hagan had sitting in her account.

Hagan, who is considering another congressional bid next year, had $43,848.10 in her account heading into the reporting period. She raised no money and spent $2,455.12, leaving her with $41,392.98 as of Dec. 31.

The five-county 13th District includes most of Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

REPUBLICANS

Johnson, R-Marietta, and Joyce, R-Bainbridge, whose districts include parts of the Mahoning Valley, also are interested in the Senate seat.

During the reporting period between Nov. 24 and Dec. 31, both spent more than they raised, but have larger amounts of money in their campaign funds than Ryan. Both raised little in that time.

Going into the period, Johnson had $996,888.10. He raised only $2,346.42, spent $140,404.36 and had $858,830.16 in his fund as of Dec. 31.

Johnson’s biggest campaign expense was a $47,183.10 contribution to the Senate Georgia Battleground fund in support of the two Republican incumbent senators in that state who lost to Democratic challengers. Those losses gave control of the Senate to Democrats.

Johnson also gave $10,000 to the Ohio Republican Senate Campaign Committee, which oversees the campaign efforts of Republican state senators and candidates.

Johnson’s campaign also paid $27,766.14 to 814 Consulting LLC of Alexandria, Va., and $18,500 to Red Brick Strategies of Columbus, both for fundraising consulting.

Johnson started a new round of radio commercials around the state a few days ago to discuss the Senate race.

“People are enthusiastically encouraging me to run for Senate,” he said. “Folks want a leader who’ll take on the entrenched Washington interests that have become roadblocks to success for Ohio families and businesses.”

Johnson defeated Democrat Shawna Roberts of Belmont by 48.8 percent in the November election.

Johnson’s 18-county 6th Congressional District includes all of Columbiana County and southern Mahoning County.

Meanwhile, going into this reporting period, Joyce had $732,241.73 in his campaign fund.

He raised only $1,061.78 and spent $66,811.80, leaving him with a $666,491.71 balance as of Dec. 31.

He gave $5,000 to the Republican Senate Campaign Committee.

His largest expenses were $15,684.35 to 814 Consulting LLC for fundraising consulting and $13,000 to NK Baur and Associates of Dublin for fundraising consulting and compliance.

Joyce beat Democrat Hillary O’Connor Mueri of Painesville by 20.2 percent in the November election.

The seven-county 14th Congressional District includes communities in northern and central Trumbull County.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com