MAPLEWOOD – Chris Gibbs had more than $50,000 in contributions to his congressional campaign as of April 8, which was much less than his opponents, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Gibbs, a farmer from Maplewood, launched an exploratory committee in November to consider a run for Ohio’s 4th Congressional District as an independent. The former Republican officially announced his campaign Feb. 6 as he sought to defeat Republican Jim Jordan.
Gibbs suspended his campaign Sunday after learning he didn’t have enough valid signatures to qualify for the November election.
“I know I’ve let people down here,” Gibbs said, “my friends, family, supporters, donors and all those folks who I never got a chance to meet but were depending on me to bring some civility and honesty to the House chamber.”
According to Federal Election Commission campaign finance data, Gibbs had $50,716.75 in contributions as of April 8. The campaign had spent $50,269.90 and had $446.85 in cash on hand.
The largest contributions to Gibbs’ campaign came from a pair of loans totaling $14,021.52 that he made. He made a $11,021.52 loan in November and a $3,000 loan in February. Those two loans represented the only debt owed by the campaign.
The lone committee contribution Gibbs received was a $3,000 donation from The Jordan Watch, a political action committee that seeks to remove Jordan from office. The PAC also donated $500 to Democrat Jeffrey A. Sites, $500 to Democrat Shannon Freshour and $500 to Democrat Mike Larsen as part of its efforts to defeat Jordan.
Gibbs received $33,695.23 in individual contributions. He reported $18,970 in itemized individual contributions. He had $14,725.23 in unitemized individual contributions, which are donations less than $200 and thus don’t have to be reported individually.
The largest donations from individuals to Gibbs’ campaign came from Emily Senay, a physician from New York City, and Avery Seavey, an attorney from New York City. Both individuals donated $5,600.
The largest donations from residents of Ohio’s 4th Congressional District to Gibbs were $1,000 each from David Smith, a fish farmer from Urbana, and Cathy Castle, a retired individual from Oberlin.
Gibbs also received itemized donations from residents of Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.
Jordan received $5,691,842.38 in contributions from Jan. 1, 2019, to April 8. He received more than 100 committee contributions totaling $237,029, $5,444,316.23 from individuals from across the nation, $2,000 in party contributions, and $8,497.15 in other receipts.
Freshour, who will be Jordan’s Democratic opponent in November, received $534,698.70 in contributions from July 1, 2019, to April 8. The lone committee contribution she received was $500 from Moran for Congress. Freshour received $475,206.14 from individuals across the nation and $58,992.56 in offsets to operating expenditures.
For more information from the Federal Election Commission data, visit www.fec.gov.
