Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is under scrutiny after a dead person was reported to have donated to his campaign, according to Ohio election officials.
The New York Post reported on Friday that Brown’s campaign reported two donations from May 2024 totaling $350 from Carol Ann Baker of Toledo, Ohio, who died in December 2023. The donations were flagged to the office of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose who passed it onto the Federal Election Commission for further investigation.
“Our office received a complaint identifying that the Friends of Sherrod Brown committee reported receiving two contributions from an individual that was confirmed to be deceased,” LaRose spokesman Dan Lushek said. “But, as that committee is a federal entity and not a filer with our office, we referred the complaint and our findings to the Federal Elections Commission for further action.”
In a letter to the FEC, head of investigations at the Ohio Secretary of State’s office Huan Yi included an affidavit from Baker’s husband confirming her death. Before her death, Baker was an English teacher at Rossford High School and a trustee for Harris Township.
Yi added that Ohio’s Election Integrity Unit would be available to help as needed.
“Ohioans deserve absolute confidence in their elections,” he said. “The purpose of this letter is to refer to your office potential violations of federal law for your investigation, as appropriate.”
According to the complaint filed with Ohio election officials, the man who flagged the donations said he had reached out to the FEC in August, but did not hear anything back from them.
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Brown is currently defending his seat from Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, whose campaign criticized him over the donations.
“Brown’s scheme to fund his campaign with contributions from dead people isn’t just creepy, it’s illegal,” Moreno Press Secretary Reagan McCarthy said. “This conspiracy deserves more scrutiny. How far does it go?”
While Ohio went comfortably for former President Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020, Brown currently maintains a 3.6 point average advantage in the polls heading into November. The Ohio seat could prove to be one of the pivotal races that determines control of the Senate as Democrats have just a two seat advantage.
