2026 Ohio Supreme Court Races: Top Five Campaign Donors
One of the ways to get to know candidates is through the company they keep or their endorsements and donors. It’s important to question why an individual, political action committee or law firm donated to judicial candidates. Ohio voters have elected judges since 1850 and Ohio judges are allowed to hear cases from their contributors and are not required to recuse themselves. As such, it’s important to examine these contributions before Election Day and afterward to consider how these donations may impact judicial impartiality and their independence. For information on candidate campaign contributions, visit the Ohio Secretary of State.
Here, we’ve put together the top five campaign contributors for each of the candidates for Ohio Supreme Court.
Research provided by Evan Vorpahl and Caitlin Mahoney of True North Research.
Jennifer Brunner (D)
Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT Ohio): $18,200
The Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) of Ohio Foundation is a labor organization connected to the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, which serves as an umbrella organization for local construction and affiliated trade unions. ACT Ohio’s board includes representatives from a dozen local trade affiliated unions and seven of the regional trade councils that fall under the statewide construction council. The Ohio State Building and Constructions Trades Council is connected to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) through what is now the North America’s Building Trades Unions.
Lee Shackelford: $10,000
Lee Shakelford is an Ohioan psychiatrist and philanthropist who has been deeply involved in The Ohio State University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and helping to organize and lead its Stress, Trauma and Resilience program where she established a namesake professorship in the program. Shakelford is also listed as a “yoga instructor” on campaign finance filing reports.
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP Advocate for Effective Public Administration: $9,100
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP Advocate for Effective Public Administration is the political action committee for the Columbus, Ohio-based government relations law firm, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. Its lobbying firm is led by former Ohio legislators Tom Niehaus (R) and Lou Gentile (D) and general clientele often include business trade associations.
Ohio Association for Justice: $9,100
The Ohio Association for Justice is Ohio’s non-profit, statewide association of trial lawyers connected to the American Association for Justice (AAJ), which organizes trial lawyers across the country. The Ohio Association for Justice describes its mission as “to protect and promote Ohioans' right to a fair and impartial civil justice system, including their constitutional right to trial by jury, through advocacy, education and training” and also operates a political action committee in the state.
Murray & Murray Company, LPA: $9,100
Murray & Murray Company, LPA is a Sandusky, Ohio-based personal injury and trial lawyers practice whose work has included litigation against civil rights violations and other commercial and class action lawsuits.
Colleen O’Donnell (R)
Ohio Republican Party: $185,000
As of the Ohio Supreme Court candidates’ pre-general election campaign finance reports, the Ohio Republican Party is the top donor to each Republican candidate, Dan Hawkins and Colleen O’Donnell, and all candidates overall in 2025-2026. The party is chaired by Alex Triantafilou and is supporting financial tech millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy in this year’s Ohio gubernatorial race. Hawkins and O’Donnell are running as members of the Republican Party and have campaigned alongside Republicans running for other statewide offices.
Jason and Lanee Lucarelli: combined $20,000
Jason Lucarelli is the president and CEO of Minutemen, a temporary staffing and HR services business. He was featured in Cleveland Magazine’s 2019 Business Hall of Fame. His wife, Lanee Lucarelli, is listed as a “homemaker” and “civic volunteer” on campaign finance reports. The Lucarelli’s have also contributed to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and Jason Lucarelli has donated to the Ohio Republican Party.
Westfield Insurance and Ohio Farmers Insurance: $17,950
The Westfield Federal Employee PAC of Ohio Farmers Insurance Company is connected to and funded by individuals working with the Westfield Center, Ohio-based company that owns several businesses under the Westfield brand. The political action committee’s largest individual donor appears to be Westfield’s CEO and board chair Ed Largent, accompanied by other high-dollar donations from several of the company’s board members.
John and Eileen Barrett: $15,000
John Barrett is the chairman and CEO of Western & Southern Financial Group, a private company that also runs a political action committee Barrett has contributed to that has been another major donor to Ohio Supreme Court candidates. John is a member of Business Roundtable and its Ohio affiliate which has also endorsed Republican candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court. John is married to Eileen Barrett, and both are directors of the Ride Cincinnati Foundation. Ride Cincinnati has been a significant donor to the University of Cincinnati’s Barrett Cancer Center.
Ohio Farm Bureau: $14,000
The Ohio Farm Bureau describes itself as “a grassroots membership organization that is committed to supporting our farm and food community.” It is registered as a 501(c)(5), a tax-exempt status reserved for labor and agricultural organizations, and is the Ohio state affiliate of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), a national business lobbying group that has long posited itself as the “voice of agriculture.”
The Ohio Farm Bureau announced its endorsements of Hawkins and O’Donnell at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce alongside fellow business groups like NFIB Ohio and Ohio Business Roundtable, who the Ohio Farm Bureau and Chamber of Commerce previously teamed up with to raise $4 million to back the three Republican candidates who ran for the Ohio Supreme Court in 2024.
Dan Hawkins (R)
Ohio Republican Party: $210,000
As of the Ohio Supreme Court candidates’ pre-general election campaign finance reports, the Ohio Republican Party is the top donor to each Republican candidate, Dan Hawkins and Colleen O’Connell, and all candidates overall in 2025-2026. The party is chaired by Alex Triantafilou and is supporting financial tech millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy in this year’s gubernatorial race. Hawkins and O’Donnell are running as members of the Republican Party and have campaigned alongside Republicans running for other statewide offices.
Westfield Insurance and Farmers Insurance: combined $22,950
The Westfield Federal Employee PAC of Ohio Farmers Insurance Company is connected to and funded by individuals working with the Westfield Center, Ohio-based company that owns several businesses under the Westfield brand. The political action committee’s largest individual donor appears to be Westfield’s CEO and board chair Ed Largent, accompanied by other high-dollar donations from several of the company’s board members.
Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT Ohio): $18,200
The Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) of Ohio Foundation is a labor organization connected to the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, which serves as an umbrella organization for local construction and affiliated trade unions. ACT Ohio’s board includes representatives from a dozen local trade affiliated unions and seven of the regional trade councils that fall under the statewide construction council. The Ohio State Building and Constructions Trades Council is connected to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) through what is now the North America’s Building Trades Unions.
Ohio Farm Bureau Agriculture for Good Government PAC: $14,000
The Ohio Farm Bureau Agriculture for Good Government PAC is the political action committee for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, the Ohio state affiliate of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), a national business lobbying group that has long posited itself as the “voice of agriculture.” Ohio Farm Bureau’s Agriculture for Good Governance PAC (AGGPAC) is registered in Ohio and with the FEC, but its filings do not include information about its funders.
The Ohio Farm Bureau announced its endorsements of Hawkins and O’Donnell at the Ohio Chamber alongside fellow business groups like NFIB Ohio and Ohio Business Roundtable, who the Ohio Farm Bureau and Chamber previously teamed up with to raise $4 million to back the three Republican candidates who ran for the Ohio Supreme Court in 2024.
John and Eileen Barrett: combined $10,000
John Barrett is the chairman and CEO of Western & Southern Financial Group, a private company that also operates a political action committee Barrett has contributed to that has been another major donor to Ohio Supreme Court candidates. John is a member of Business Roundtable and its Ohio affiliate which has also endorsed Republican candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court. John is married to Eileen Barrett, and both are directors of the Ride Cincinnati Foundation. Ride Cincinnati has been a significant donor to the University of Cincinnati’s Barrett Cancer Center.
Marilyn Zayas (D)
Murphy-Neilan Trust: $16,000
The Murphy-Neilan Trust is based in San-Francisco, California, and has been a donor to Democratic candidates and parties in states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Michigan in recent years, and the nationally focused Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. On some filings, the trustee’s name Andrew F. Rumer is listed, who has contributed to Democratic candidates himself in states like Arizona and listed the trust’s address as his own.
OCSEA/AFSCME Local 11: $15,000
The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA) is a public service union in Ohio and is affiliated with the national public service union the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Another local union connected to AFSCME, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, is also supporting Democratic candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, as is the political action committee of another AFSCME-affiliated union, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE).
Richard and Debra Wulfeck: combined $10,000
Richard and Debra Wulfeck are Northern Kentucky residents supporting candidates for Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton (D). Richard Wulfeck is the president of Wulco, Inc., a private manufacturing company created by Wulfeck’s father to “unite two long-standing Greater Cincinnati companies”, Jet Machine & Manufacturing and Rocket Supply. Wulco, Inc. has recently acquired the federal defense contractor NextGen Armor. Debra Wulfeck is currently serving a two-year term on Northern Kentucky University’s Board of Regents.
Richard and Katherine Rosenthal: combined $10,000
Richard and Katherine Rosenthal are Ohio donors well-known for making major gifts like $15 million to the University of Cincinnati College of Law for its Ohio Innocence Project. Richard Rosenthal was a longtime president and owner of F&W Publishing Corp. until selling it to private investment companies to focus on philanthropic causes in 1999, and Katherine Rosenthal has served on community boards like the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati.
O’Connor, Acciani & Levy: combined $10,000
O’Connor, Acciani & Levy is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based personal injury-focused law firm and describes itself as “a staunch defender of Cincinnati tri-state residents for more than 27 years” and asserts their “lawyers have stood up against big insurance companies, pharmaceutical giants, big business, and more defending our clients’ rights.”
Four of the firm’s attorneys, Robert Acciani, founding partner Henry Acciani, Elizabeth Acciani, and Barry Levy, each personally contributed $2,500 to Zayas’ campaign. All four are members of the Ohio Association for Justice.
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