COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the race for Governor of Ohio, challenger Ed FitzGerald has been short on good news lately.
A recent poll shows the Democrat trailing Republican incumbent John Kasich and virtually unknown to two-thirds of Ohio voters.
Campaign finance reports released Tuesday show Kasich raised about four times as much campaign in roughly the same time cash, and reportedly has about $12 million more in his war chest, than FitzGerald.
And now, Ohio records show that the Cuyahoga County executive did not have a driver’s license between 2008 and 2012 and lacked a temporary permit for more than a year during that time.
It’s unclear why the FitzGerald — a former FBI agent, assistant county prosecutor and suburban mayor — went so long without a license or why he failed to have a temporary permit between March 20, 2009, and October 10, 2010. A campaign spokeswoman declined to comment Tuesday.
FitzGerald’s driving record has drawn scrutiny because of a 2012 incident in which police found him in his car with a woman at 4:30 a.m. at an industrial park in a Cleveland suburb.
According to reports filed with the Secretary of State’s office, Kasich also received about $250,000 in in-kind campaign contributions from the state GOP. The Republican governor’s numbers include contributions from June 9 through July 31.
FitzGerald raised more than $533,000, with over $11,000 in in-kind donations. His figures include a $40,000 contribution made Tuesday from the Ohio Democratic Party. FitzGerald reported contributions from June 14 through Tuesday.
Candidates running for statewide offices were required to disclose their July contributions but could report more than that. They don’t have to disclose expenditures. It won’t be fully known how much money they have in the bank until October.