The campaign contributions that fossil fuel and electric utility interests have made in Ohio’s race for governor during the first four months of 2018 have largely gone to Republican candidate Mike DeWine.

Republican Mary Taylor has also received several donations from the fossil fuel industry in the first four months of 2018, but much less than the support DeWine has received.

Democrats Joe Schiavoni and Dennis Kucinich have received a few small donations individual employees of electric utilities in 2018. Kucinich has also signed a No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, while Richard Cordray and Bill O’Neill have not received any campaign contributions from the fossil fuel or utility industries so far this year.

The following analysis is based on a review of campaign finance reports filed on April 26, 2018.

Mike DeWine

Since the start of 2018, Republican Mike DeWine has received more campaign cash from fossil fuel and electric utility companies and industry groups than any other candidate for governor in Ohio:

  • $10,000 from Duke Energy
  • $8,500 from NiSource
  • $6,000 from the Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives
  • $5,000 from Chesapeake Energy
  • $5,000 from Dominion
  • $5,000 from the Ohio Oil and Gas Association
  • $5,000 from IGS Energy
  • $5,000 from Vectren
  • $200 from Dayton Power & Light

DeWine has also received campaign contributions from executives in the fossil fuel and electric utility industries:

  • $10,000 from William Siderewicz, the president of Clean Energy Future LLC
  • $5,000 from Majida Mourad, Vice President of Government Affairs for Cheniere Energy
  • $5,000 from Scott Brown, the CEO of Pickands Mather Coal Company
  • $5,000 from Joseph Hamrock, the president and CEO of NiSource
  • $5,000 from Mark Avery, the president of Seahorse Oilfield Services
  • $4,200 from Scott White, the president of IGS Energy
  • $1,500 from James Steffes, the executive vice president of external affairs for Direct Energy
  • $1,000 from Donald Templin, the president of Marathon Petroleum
  • $1,000 from William McCleave, the brand marketing manager for Marathon Petroleum
  • $1,000 from Timothy Griffith, the Chief Financial Officer for Marathon Petroleum
  • $1,000 from Bruce Levengood, the president of Sound Energy Company
  • $750 from William Haas of Reserve Energy Exploration
  • $500 from Pam Beall, the vice president of products supply and optimization for Marathon Petroleum
  • $300 from Michael McGarey, director of state outreach for the Nuclear Energy Institute
  • $200 from Colleen Ryan, the president of Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio
  • $150 from Timothy Aydt, the president of Marathon Pipe Line, LLC

Mary Taylor:

Republican Mary Taylor has received several contributions from the fossil fuel industry in 2018:

  • $5,000 from Jerry James, the president of Artex Oil
  • $1,000 from Eugene Huck, the vice president of Artex Oil
  • $1,000 from Doris Kimble of Penn Ohio Coal
  • $500 from Marathon Petroleum

Joe Schiavoni

Since January of 2018, Democrat Joe Schiavoni has received two small contributions of $50 each from employees of American Electric Power and FirstEnergy.

Schiavoni has acknowledged that he’s previously received campaign contributions from fossil fuel and electric utility interests while serving in the Ohio Senate.

Dennis Kucinich

Democrat Dennis Kucinich has taken the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge to “not knowingly accept any contributions over $200 from the PACs, executives, or front groups of fossil fuel companies — companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution, or sale of oil, gas, or coal.” The pledge is part of a campaign backed by environmental and climate change advocacy groups, including the Public Citizen, Climate Hawks Vote, Oil Change International, and the Food & Water Action Fund.

Kucinich recently said, “I’ve spent a lifetime fighting corporate interests … I won’t take corporate money. I’m not their candidate. I will push for public financing of Ohio elections.”

Kucinich received a small contribution of $10 from an employee at NiSource, and $20 from a New Jersey-based coal-fired power plant operator for Rockland Capital.

Richard Cordray and Bill O’Neill

The Energy and Policy Institute found no campaign contributions from the fossil fuel and electric utility industries in the latest campaign filing for Democratic candidates Richard Cordray and Bill O’Neill.

However, O’Neill has reportedly signaled that he is open to receiving campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry.

A growing number of candidates across the U.S. have pledged not to take money from the fossil fuel or utility industries

Nationally, more than 400 candidates for public office have taken the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge. Solar Neighbors United also just launched a new campaign asking candidates to pledge not to take money from monopoly utilities, so the number of candidates who have taken such pledges should continue to rise.  

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Posted by Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson is the policy and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute. Dave has been working at the nexus of clean energy and public policy since 2008. Prior to joining the Energy and Policy Institute, he was an outreach coordinator for the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He is also an alumnus of the Sierra Club and the Alliance for Climate Protection (now the Climate Reality Project). Dave’s research has helped to spur public scrutiny of political attacks on clean energy and climate science by powerful special interests, such as ExxonMobil and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). His work has been cited by major media outlets, such as CBS News and the Wall Street Journal, and he has served as a speaker on panels at national solar industry conferences. Dave holds a MA in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire, where he also received a BA in Humanities.

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