House Republican Conference Chair Deborah Pryce of Columbus is flush with more than $1.5 million in cash for her November battle against Democratic Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy.
You may wonder, how is a Republican congress member able to raise so much money.
First, by the special design of the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate, most work (committees, meetings, etc.) is scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This allows the Republicans to go on junkets with their lobbyist friends/PACs, and raise campaign money Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Pretty cool, huh? The Republicans have created a three day work week, and on special occasions, they'll schedule a Friday or Monday work session. This is one of the reasons this Republican controlled legislative branch is getting NOTHING accomplished.
Secondly, by looking at the comparisons of the origin of the campaign money, we can learn a lot. Open Secrets shows the comparison of where candidates are getting their money. Here is the breakdown from Open Secrets on the race for Ohio's 15th congressional district:
Deborah Pryce (R)
63% from PACs
36% from individuals
Mary Jo Kilroy (D)
18% from PACs
82% from individuals
What does this tell us? Mary Jo Kilroy is getting more contributions from citizens, while Pryce is getting more from lobbyists/PACs. Therefore, one can safely assume that if Kilroy is elected, she will be beholden to citizens, and not the special interests that Pryce depends on so heavily.