http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/114530065338630.xml&storylist=cleveland4/17/2006, 2:57 p.m. ET
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Attorney General Jim Petro received 46 times more Republican Party contributions in 2005 than rival Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, an analysis released Monday shows.
The finding further highlights the bitter politics at play in the May 2 GOP primary, which pits party insider Petro against outspoken party critic Blackwell.
Blackwell's $2.7 million in donations collected through the end of last year included about 14,000 donations of less than $200, and only $9,875 from partisan committees. By contrast, Petro reported only 1,819 citizen donations under $200 and more than $467,000 in partisan contributions in the $2.4 million he has raised, according to the analysis by Ohio Citizen Action, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for stricter campaign finance laws.
"When we think about the nature of the campaign, it becomes about the strong grass-roots support Blackwell has versus the strong party support Petro has," said Catherine Turcer, the group's campaign reform director...