State Sen. John Boccieri (D-Alliance) is praising grassroots efforts and small contributions in his race against state Sen. Kirk Schuring (R-Jackson Township) to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Navarre) in Ohio's 16th Congressional District.

Boccieri is entering the final weeks of the campaign with $464,474 in cash on hand, having raised $415,738.74 in the third quarter. The Boccieri camp says the majority of his contributions, both for this quarter and the whole of the campaign, have come in amounts of $100 or less.

"Middle class families who have been ignored by Washington for too long are uniting behind our campaign for change," Boccieri said today. "Working people are out knocking on doors, talking to their neighbors, and contributing whatever they can afford because they want a Congressman who will put their interests first."

The Boccieri campaign noted his cash advantage over Schuring, who reported $127,606 cash on hand at the end of the third quarter. The Boccieri camp also hit Schuring for contributions from oil and "special interests."

"As Schuring's support dwindles, he has become even more dependent on corporate special interests to bankroll his campaign," the Boccieri camp said in a release. "Schuring brought in more than $8,000 from the oil industry this quarter alone, raising his total from this interest group to roughly $30,000."

Schuring campaign manager PJ Wenzel said that the Schuring campaign has received roughly 2.6 percent of total contributions from oil-related companies, both this quarter and overall.

"Most of this money came from in-district companies, not big corporations," Wenzel said. "Meanwhile, John Boccieri has received thousands of dollars from corrupt political figures like Jimmy Dimora and Frank Russo."

Wenzel said the real story is how Boccieri's "friends from Washington have dumped more than $1.6 million into the district" to "buy the seat."

"John Boccieri and his supporters will say or do anything to get elected," Wenzel said.