COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Federal records show Ohio U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci failed to disclose nearly $50,000 in political contributions while registered as a Washington lobbyist starting in the late 2000s.
The finding stems from an Associated Press review of campaign finance and congressional lobbyist filings from Renacci's period as a registered lobbyist.
The Wadsworth congressman is Ohio Republicans' favored candidate to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall.
The AP identified five reporting periods when Renacci either failed to file the required lobbyist disclosure form or reported giving no political contributions when he had given.
His campaign says he never lobbied. It says he wasn't subject to disclosure requirements after becoming inactive in 2009.
Records show Renacci's lobbyist registration was terminated in May 2011. That was about four months after he entered Congress.
