The Republican Senate Campaign Committee gave $452,587 to the campaign of state Sen. Sandra O’Brien — almost half of it during the final two weeks of the GOP primary — to help her turn back the challenge of state Rep. Mike Loychik.

In-kind contributions totaling $197,971 went to O’Brien’s campaign from the committee between March 5 and March 19 for media commercials, digital advertising, media production, web design and hosting, and for campaign food and beverages.

The in-kind contributions are listed on the postprimary filing report of O’Brien, R-Lenox, for the period between Feb. 29 and April 19. The primary was March 19.

During the postprimary period, the committee spent $362,042 of its funds with about 55% of it going to O’Brien’s campaign.

During the preprimary period of Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, the committee spent $685,041 with $254,616, more than 37%, going to O’Brien’s campaign. The money in the preprimary period went to O’Brien’s campaign between Feb. 7 and Feb. 23 for commercials and campaign mail.

Overall, $452,587 of the committee’s $1.04 million in expenditures from Jan. 1 to April 29 went to O’Brien’s reelection campaign. That’s more than 43% of the money spent by the committee and by far its largest expenditure.

O’Brien got 63.8% of the vote to 36.2% for Loychik, R-Bazetta, a two-term state House Republican who challenged her in the 32nd Ohio Senate District’s Republican primary.

It was among only three contested Republican state Senate primaries this year.

One committee ad attacked Loychik for a supposed connection to Larry Householder, the former Ohio House speaker and a Republican sentenced to 20 years in prison last year for his role in the largest public corruption scandal in the state’s history. The commercial claimed Loychik was in Householder’s pocket.

In the postprimary period, O’Brien raised $9,834 — including a $2,000 contribution April 2 from the Trumbull County Republican Party — and spent $15,339.

Her largest expense was a $10,000 donation to the Republican Senate Campaign Committee followed by a $3,000 contribution to the committee for Charlie Frye, the Ashtabula County Republican Party chairman who was reelected GOP state central committeeman for the 32nd District.

Loychik raised $3,750 in the postprimary period with $1,500 from businessman J.J. Cafaro of Liberty as his top donor.

Loychik spent $64,098 in the period with $47,990 to Spencer Federal LLC of East Liverpool for media advertising, social media ads, marketing and campaign literature. There also was a $9,016 expense to Garrison Management of Kansas City, Missouri, for commercials on Fox News.

In the preprimary period, O’Brien raised $78,735 to $41,150 for Loychik. Also, O’Brien spent $46,296 — her largest expense was $40,000 to the committee — to $64,073 for Loychik.

As of April 19, O’Brien had $68,912 in her campaign fund to $1,765 for Loychik.

Loychik chose not to seek a third two-year term in the 65th Ohio House District to challenge O’Brien, who will run in the Nov. 5 election for a second four-year term, in the 33rd Senate District. The district includes all of Trumbull and Ashtabula counties and most of Geauga County.

HOUSE RACES

In the Republican primary for the open 65th House District, Ashtabula County Auditor David Thomas of Jefferson raised $2,776 and spent $23,926 in the postprimary period.

Thomas got nearly 72% of the vote to beat Laurie Magyar of Williamsfield.

Of the money raised by Thomas, $2,000 came from the Trumbull County Republican Party on April 3. His largest expenses were $11,500 to Alpha Key Digital of Madison for digital ads and $3,996 to iHeart Radio for radio commercials.

Magyar raised no money in the postprimary period and spent $7,211 with $7,124 going to Spencer Federal for campaign mail.

Thomas doesn’t have a general election opponent. He had $8,382 in his campaign fund as of April 19.

The district, which includes parts of Trumbull and Ashtabula counties, favors Republicans by 14.5% based on partisan voting trends during the past decade.

In the 59th Ohio House District, incumbent state Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, raised $3,677, with $3,000 of it from PACs, during the postprimary period and spent $22,957 with $18,750 going to the campaigns of other Republicans.

Cutrona had $144,512 in his fund as of April 19.

He is being challenged by Laura Schaeffer, a Beloit councilwoman who raised $26,273 in the postprimary period including a $400 loan from the candidate Feb. 29.

She spent $3,182 in the period and had a $24,405 carryover as of April 19.

The district, which includes parts of Mahoning County and a small piece of Columbiana County, favors Republicans by more than 12% based on partisan voting trends in the past decade.

In the 58th Ohio House District race, incumbent state Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, raised $250 and spent $1,808. McNally had $45,429 in her campaign fund as of April 19.

In the general election, McNally will face Emily Ciccone of Austintown, who got 192 votes in the May 19 Republican primary as a write-in candidate.

Ciccone didn’t file a postprimary report.

The district, which includes parts of Mahoning County, favors Democrats by 21% based on statewide voting trends.

Have a story idea? Contact David Skolnick by email at dskolnick@vindy.com. Follow him on X, @dskolnick.