COLUMBUS − Ohio trade unions put their money behind incumbent Kevin Miller, while out-of-state contributors and loans help finance Daniel Kalmbach’s campaign in the 69th Ohio House District Republican primary.
Kalmbach, 29, of Buckeye Lake, received more campaign contributions from out-of-state donors than from within Ohio, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s pre-primary campaign finance reports.
Miller, 49, of Franklin Township, almost tripled Kalmbach’s contributions during the reporting period, with donations from numerous trade unions and political action committees.
Incumbent Kevin Miller collects $85,800, garnering support from Realtors, tradespeople
Miller reported $85,800 in contributions from 84 donors, with the largest a $10,000 contribution from Realtors Political Action Committee and $5,000 from Friends of Tom Patton, a Republican state representative from Strongsville. Miller received 33 donations of at least $1,000, with 31 of them from Ohio.
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“I’m supported by numerous groups and organizations, including the trade unions,” Miller said. “He clearly does not have that. I’m a huge supporter of the trades, and I think they see that. I support countless hardworking trade union members.”
Miller’s support includes contractors, bricklayers, iron workers, pipefitters, plumbers, truckers, firefighters and electrical workers. Miller said he has more than 400 donors, including previous campaign finance reports, with “a significant portion from the district.”
Miller acknowledged he’s been attacked for supporting House Bill 205, the Enact the High Hazard Training Certification Act, which is described in the legislation for the purpose of enacting the Protect Ohio Workers Act regarding construction services performed under contract at a stationary source.
“Nowhere in that language does it mention unions,” Miller said. “The workers in these facilities must have minimum safety standards, speak English and must have passed or been through an apprenticeship program. That’s why I supported that bill.
“They tried to say that was a big union bill. They say you’re bought and paid for by the unions. That’s garbage.”
Challenger Daniel Kalmbach brings in nearly $30,000, much from outside Ohio
Kalmbach’s campaign received $29,603 from 27 donors, with 11 coming from outside Ohio. Nine of his 12 donations of at least $1,000 donations were from out of state. He also has $150,000 in outstanding loans.
Kalmbach did not respond to questions about his out-of-state contributions or the loans but did attack Miller.
“Kevin Miller has run over $400,000 in negative ads against me funded by Columbus insiders, plus another $100,000 from a Washington super PAC,” Kalmach said. “He has received $600,000 from unions this cycle.
“Kevin can’t run on his record, so he’s letting the teachers’ unions and liberal outside groups do the work.”
A combined $12,704 in Kalmbach donations came from Dale Martin, Leonard Martin, Josh Martin and Jeremy Martin, co-owners and employees of Farmer Boy, an agricultural supply and construction company based in Myerstown, Pennsylvania.
Farmer Boy has five locations, one in Morral, Ohio, in the northern part of the state. Leonard Martin, who donated $5,000, is the company’s Ohio operations manager, according to his Linked-In profile. Leonard and Dale Martin are also co-owners of Farmer Boy, according to its website.
Kalmbach also received donations from: Greenville, Wisconsin; Richmond Hill, Georgia; Fargo, North Dakota; Neosho, Missouri; Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield, Michigan; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
“His family is very wealthy and a lot of his donors are from out of state,” Miller said. “Only a handful in the district. The voters of the district won’t be fooled by someone that moved in to the district to run against me.”
Miller, appointed in 2021 to complete the term of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, faced no primary opposition in 2022 and easily defeated Democrat Charlotte Owens in the general election.
Republicans picked Miller from 19 candidates to replace Householder, convicted of racketeering in orchestrating a $60 million bribery scheme and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Kalmbach, who grew up in Findlay and moved to Licking County last year, said he was encouraged to run for the Ohio House by conservative leaders around the state. He has never run for office before.
The winner of the Kalmbach-Miller race will face Democrat Jamie Hough, 37, of Heath, in the general election.
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