Reply #27: Diebold lobbyist donates $10,000 to Blackwell

[MelissaB]

Republicans flock to Blackwell campaign

JOHN McCARTHY
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican heavy-hitters have been flocking to Republican Kenneth Blackwell's campaign since he won the May 2 primary for governor, but he trails Democratic nominee Ted Strickland 2-1 in cash available for the November election, finance reports filed Friday showed.

Strickland, with no major challenger in last month's primary for governor, raised $2 million during the April 12 to June 2 reporting period and had $2.6 million on hand.

Blackwell, who spent more than $1.2 million late in his primary fight against Jim Petro, raised $2.2 million and had $1.3 million in his account with five months to go in the campaign. Petro raised $255,000 and spent $572,000 down the stretch.

Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state, got $430,000 from the Ohio Republican Party on the day of the primary. Ohio GOP chairman Bob Bennett, who didn't take sides in the primary, said he held back until he was certain Blackwell would win. The last-minute donation also means the party can give a similar amount for the general election, Bennett said.

Forty-nine of the 85 people who this year have given Blackwell the maximum $10,000 allowed an individual donor have done so since May 2. Members of Cincinnati financier Carl Lindner's family led the way by combining for $90,000.

The maximum-donor list also includes Mitch Given, who is a registered lobbyist for Diebold Election Systems, one of the vendors of voting machines for election boards in Ohio. Blackwell's office approved Diebold's selection as a vendor and negotiated the price for the machines, although the counties chose the machines.


More: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14783837.htm