CLEVELAND — Mike Gibbons, a Cleveland investment banker running for the Republican nomination in Ohio’s 2022 U.S. Senate race, is planning to spend $10 million on television and radio advertising over the next nine months.

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland investment banker Mike Gibbons is hoping a large investment in ads will help him emerge from the crowded GOP primary field

  • Gibbons is one of five major Republican candidates looking to succeed retiring Sen. Rob Portman

  • Gibbons is also launching a statewide tour where he will visit all 88 counties

The large figure of reserved airtime stands out as millions of dollars begins pouring in to the competitive GOP primary to succeed retiring Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.

Gibbons, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2018, has already committed to spend $5 million of his own fortune on this race. His campaign reported raising $1 million in the second fundraising quarter of this year, on top of his self-funding.

In addition to this advertising blitz, Gibbons is launching a statewide tour where he “will personally make appearances in each of Ohio’s 88 counties” in August and September, according to his campaign.

“Being up on air combined with our grassroots ground game is a winning combination,” Gibbons said in a statement to Spectrum News. “I am fully committed to becoming Ohio’s next U.S. Senator and looking forward to serving the people of our great state.”

Gibbons is one of five major Republican candidates who have formally entered the 2022 Senate race, and several other Republicans are seriously considering joining.

On the Democratic side, only northeast Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan has formally declared.

The early days of the GOP primary have featured the candidates jockeying for former President Donald Trump’s endorsement and traveling across the state to appear at local Republican events.

Gibbons, who as a first-time candidate won 38 of Ohio’s 88 counties in the 2018 Republican primary, is hoping his lofty investment in his campaign will help him emerge from the crowded field.

His ad campaign will begin this week with $3 million worth of ads airing across the state.

“America has been knocked down by the Left, but football taught me to get back up. We have something to stand for. We believe in the greatness of America,” one of Gibbons’ new ads says. “In secure borders, the right to bear arms, fair elections, the sanctity of life, and the power of faith. I’m Mike Gibbons, and I approve this message, because winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”

The five Republicans in the race are Gibbons, Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, former Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel, and author and venture capitalist JD Vance.