Jim Renacci's lack of advertising in Senate race increasingly alarms Ohio Republicans

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Past Senate races in Ohio have been a slugfest on the airwaves, marked by tens of millions of dollars spent by Republicans and Democrats.

But to the alarm of Ohio Republicans, when it comes to political advertising, this year's race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and his GOP challenger, Wadsworth Rep. Jim Renacci, has been a dramatically one-sided affair. It's led them to question whether Renacci has thrown in the towel, if he's waiting for national support that hasn't arrived, or if he's simply reluctant to part ways with the $4 million of his own money he's loaned his campaign.

"Jim's good on social media. Jim's good on getting around the state. But I can tell you that many people in the social conservative movement have asked me directly, 'How come we haven't seen Jim on TV?'" said Mike Gonidakis, a Republican lobbyist who leads Ohio Right to Life, a prominent anti-abortion group that has endorsed Renacci. "I don't have an answer to tell them. But I think it's noticed far and wide."

"Let me be clear," said Nick Everhart, an Ohio Republican political strategist who works on races across the country. "In 2018 you absolutely are not going to win a tier-one U.S. Senate campaign against anyone in the country, let alone as tough a political candidate as Sherrod Brown without using the most powerful communication and advertising tool on earth -- paid TV."

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