Steve Chabot challenger Robert Barr raises big money in first bid for House race

WASHINGTON—Cincinnati Democrat and congressional candidate Robert Barr raised more than $230,000 in his first fundraising quarter, a surprisingly big sum for an otherwise little-known challenger in a Republican-leaning district.

Barr is a rabbi and a newcomer to politics, aiming to oust incumbent GOP Rep. Steve Chabot of Westwood. Barr announced his candidacy in mid-October, and he’s managed to attract national attention with his pitch as a faith leader who could bridge the partisan divide.

“People want something different,” Barr said in a statement touting his fourth-quarter fundraising totals. “Our fundraising shows people in Southwest Ohio are committed to change.”

A spokesman for Chabot said his campaign did not have his final fundraising numbers yet.

Democrats have targeted Ohio’s 1st congressional district as a possible pick up, as they try to win control of the House in 2018. But it’s a bit of a long shot; Trump won the district by 6.6 percentage points in 2016, and Chabot has cruised to re-election for the past three cycles.

National Democrats wooed other contenders with better name ID to challenge Chabot—to no avail. But while Barr doesn’t have political star power, Democrats in Washington seem to be taking an interest in his candidacy.

Barr’s spokesman, Daniel Barash, said his $236,000 fundraising tally is the most raised in a single quarter by any Democrat or Republican candidates in the district since 2010. That year, Chabot wrested the seat away from then-Democratic Rep. Steven Driehaus in a hotly contested race.

Barr and other candidates do not have to file their fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission until the end of this month. Barash declined to provide the full report to the Enquirer, saying the final version wasn’t ready yet.

But Barash said all the money came from individual donors except one $5,000 contribution from Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer’s leadership PAC. Hoyer is the House’s No. 2 Democrat.

Chabot has not filed his fourth quarter report yet. But he raised $125,000 in the third quarter and ended September with more than $1.1 million cash in the bank.

Barash said Barr will report ending December with $200,000 in the bank.

Barr founded Congregation Beth Adam and has served as its rabbi for 37 years.

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