Jeffrey Yass gave at least $10 million more to V-PAC in the Ohio governor race, lifting his total support for Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign above $30 million. The fresh ten-figure donation adds to $20 million Yass had already given to the PAC backing Ramaswamy.
V-PAC and Ohio spending
V-PAC, or V-PAC: Victors not Victims, is a federal super PAC that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, while official campaign committees must follow state campaign finance limits. That structure has helped Ramaswamy and his allies spend or reserve $82.3 million on TV and digital ads this year, compared with expected pro-Acton spending of $11.1 million.
A $9.4 million campaign funded by the Democratic Governors Association is set to begin after Labor Day. For readers following the race, that means the next wave of paid messages is already planned, and the spending gap is likely to stay wide before those ads start.
Amy Acton and Ohio voters
Amy Acton has faced a worsening public view in polling even as her campaign has raised $21.8 million. In June, a poll found that 37% of Ohio voters had a negative view of her; on Aug. 13, that figure was 47%.
Acton has also taken positions that complicate the liberal label used against her. She has supported Issue 3, Medicaid work requirements, and Ohio's ban on transgender girls and women participating in girls' and women's sports, even as she has been attacked as too liberal in the Ohio governor race.
Columbus and the police union
On Tuesday, Acton appeared in Columbus to tout a new endorsement from the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the state's second-largest police union. She also announced her opposition to a longshot citizens' effort to eliminate qualified immunity.
The race is being shaped by outside money and by public ratings that remain close or tied in publicly released polling. The open question is how much more money, if any, Jeffrey Yass or other allies will give to V-PAC before voters decide the Ohio governor race.
