Republican-Backed Group Targets Ohio Senate Race With Ads Promoting Independent Candidate
Sandego.net – Outside money is reshaping the messaging in Ohio’s closely watched Senate contest, where a little-known independent candidate has become the focus of a multimillion-dollar effort aimed at weakening Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Enough Promises Ohio, a group that has spent at least $2 million, disclosed for the first time that it received $2.5 million from Conservative Americans PAC between October 1 and October 14. The donor is a Republican super PAC that previously drew attention for intervening in Democratic House primaries earlier in the election cycle.
The disclosure places Republican-aligned money behind a campaign designed to elevate Greg Levy, a socialist candidate running as an independent, while criticizing Brown in messages directed in part at Black voters. Levy, who is Black, has said his campaign has no relationship with Enough Promises Ohio.
A Competitive Race and an Unusual Outside Campaign
Brown is seeking to defeat Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a race viewed as one of the nation’s most competitive Senate battles. With control and influence in the Senate often shaped by a small number of tight contests, outside groups have strong incentives to influence how voters view candidates beyond the two major-party campaigns.
Enough Promises Ohio has used digital advertising and direct mail to present Levy as an alternative for progressive voters. One online advertisement says Brown “sold us out” and calls Levy the “real progressive.”
A mail piece distributed by the group uses especially pointed language in an apparent effort to erode Brown’s support among Black Ohioans. The front displays photographs of Levy alongside the message:
“END THE WAR ON BLACK AMERICA”
The reverse side features Brown and asserts:
“SHERROD BROWN BUILT THE SYSTEM TO LOCK US UP.”
The messaging seeks to create a contrast between Brown, a longtime Ohio political figure, and Levy, whose candidacy has received far less public attention than the campaigns of Brown and Husted. In a closely divided election, efforts to draw even a limited number of voters toward a third candidate can affect the broader contest without that candidate becoming a leading contender.
Levy and Husted Campaigns Deny Involvement
Federal law bars super PACs from coordinating their independent expenditures with candidate campaigns. Levy’s campaign rejected any connection to Enough Promises Ohio earlier this month and criticized the group’s activity as an effort to mislead the electorate.
“[The campaign] has no ties” to Enough Promises Ohio and condemned the “attempted deception of voters.”
Husted’s campaign also said it played no role in the group’s work. Spokesperson Amy Natoce said in an email that the campaign “had no involvement” with Enough Promises Ohio.
Brown’s campaign responded by arguing that voters would see through the outside spending and continue to scrutinize Husted’s record. Lauren Chou, a spokesperson for Brown, said Ohio voters would “hold Jon Husted accountable” for votes against limiting President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers, among other issues.
Disclosure Reveals the Financial Link
The new filing is significant because Enough Promises Ohio had not previously identified the financial source behind its advertising and mail program. Its report for the first half of October listed Conservative Americans PAC as its only donor during that period.
Conservative Americans PAC already had a reputation for strategic intervention in Democratic contests. Earlier in the cycle, the group acknowledged spending in Democratic House primaries in an attempt to help nominees it considered easier to defeat in a general election. Its contribution in Ohio follows a similar political logic: support an alternative candidate who may pull votes away from a major-party opponent.
For voters, the episode illustrates a common feature of modern campaign finance. An advertisement may appear to champion a candidate or issue, while the money behind it can come from political interests whose preferred outcome is different from the message’s surface appeal. Federal disclosure reports can help reveal those financial relationships, though some groups do not disclose their donors immediately.
Another Group Focuses on Husted
Enough Promises Ohio is not the only outside organization seeking to influence the Senate race through support for a candidate outside the two main campaigns. Buckeye Freedom PAC has spent even more money on advertisements targeting Husted while promoting Libertarian candidate Bill Redpath.
Unlike Enough Promises Ohio, Buckeye Freedom PAC had not yet identified its donors. That leaves voters without a public accounting of who is financing the group’s effort to criticize Husted and increase attention for Redpath.
The competing campaigns around Levy and Redpath underscore how independent spending can pursue several paths at once in a high-stakes election. Rather than simply praising a preferred candidate, outside organizations can shape the race by encouraging voters to consider alternatives, amplifying dissatisfaction, or focusing attention on narrow segments of the electorate.
As Election Day approaches, Ohio voters will face campaign messages from Brown, Husted, Levy, Redpath, and a growing network of outside groups. The newly revealed $2.5 million contribution gives a clearer picture of one major force operating behind that political advertising.
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