Quote:Large campaign contributions from a Northern Ohio businessman and his employees to U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci and U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel have prompted a federal investigation, the campaigns confirmed Monday.

The probe is centered around more than $200,000 in campaign contributions from employees at the Suarez Corporation, a Canton-based direct marketing firm owned by Benjamin Suarez, a frequent financial supporter of Republican causes. The Blade reported in August that 16 of the company’s employees and some of their spouses gave maximum allowable $5,000 contributions to one or both candidates. Many of the employees had never given to federal campaigns before, lived in modest homes, and held job titles such as “copywriter.”

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The investigation could present problems for the two campaigns in battleground Ohio, a state expected to play a key role in deciding not only who occupies the White House, but also who wins a majority in Congress this November. Just two years into his first term as Ohio’s state treasurer, Mr. Mandel, 34, has earned a reputation as a tenacious fund-raiser, and recent polls show him closing the gap in his U.S. Senate race with Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown. And thanks to congressional redistricting, Mr. Renacci (R., Wadsworth) is fending off a challenge from another incumbent, U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D., Copley Township), to represent Ohio’s 16th Congressional District.

Mr. Suarez, whose direct marketing firm sells items ranging from space heaters to collectible coins, is a big supporter of Republican candidates. He and his wife have contributed $40,000 to political action committees that support Mr. Renacci and Mr. Mandel. But in the current election cycle, many of his employees, including non-executive staffers, joined him in making contributions, suddenly turning Suarez Corporation into a fund-raising powerhouse. Overall, Mr. Suarez, his employees, and their spouses gave $100,000 to Mr. Mandel’s campaign and $100,250 to Mr. Renacci’s campaign.

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