Women contributed 30% of the donations to Ohio's statewide and legislative campaigns in last year's general elections, according to a new report from Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics.

Why it matters: Women are not just underrepresented in the halls of power, they're underrepresented as the political donors that fuel those halls, Axios' Emma Hurt writes.

The big picture: Nationwide, women donors made up between 29-33% of contributions to general election candidates at statewide and state legislative levels between 2019 and 2022, per data from campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets.

Meanwhile, one-third of state legislators in the U.S. are women, while eight of the 28 governors who ran for re-election last year were women.

• About 50.4% of the U.S. population is female, per census data.

Between the lines: The underrepresentation of female politicians and donors is entwined, Kira Sanbonmatsu, a Rutgers political science professor and the report's lead researcher, told Axios.

• It's a cycle that puts women at a disadvantage — female donors on both sides of the aisle disproportionately support women candidates, but the number of women running for office is significantly lower than the number of men.
• Incumbents, most of them men, tend to raise more money than challengers and well-funded candidates are most likely to win on election day.

Zoom in: In Ohio last year, 49% of campaign contributors were women, but their money made up a much smaller percentage of the total amount donated.

• While 50.6% of the population is female, only 29% of state legislators are women.
• In 220 years of the state's legislative history, the record high is 31% of seats held by women, during the 2021-22 term.
• Men hold all six statewide executive office positions, both U.S. Senate seats and a majority of Ohio Supreme Court seats.

Of note: That trend is expected to continue — all four major candidates for next year's U.S. Senate race are men.

The last word: There's a "need for some new strategies and new mobilization ideas" to rectify the "donor gap," Sanbonmatsu said.

• "Women are voting. They're interested in politics. They're engaged. They maybe haven't been recruited yet in this capacity."

"It's a sweet car. We're looking for some sweet plays on the field."

The intrigue: Inniss received the car before taking a single snap for the Buckeyes thanks to name, image, likeness (NIL) rules that have transformed the world of college sports, the New York Times reports.

State of play: Since 2021, NIL deals have allowed student-athletes to make big bucks promoting soft drink and apparel brands.

• Ohio State has been a NIL powerhouse from the beginning as a way to recruit the nation's top talent.

Between the lines: It takes a lot of money to win the NIL arms race.

• Head coach Ryan Day reportedly told program supporters they needed to raise $13 million a year to attract a championship-contending roster.

Zoom in: OSU is one of many schools with a nonprofit NIL "collective" designed to raise vast sums of money for players in exchange for charity work and brand marketing.

Go deeper: How rich donors and loose rules are transforming college sports

As you drive, keep a careful eye out for deer this time of year.

Threat level: October and November are the most common months for deer-related crashes, state data shows.

• There have been over 100,000 total crashes in Ohio involving deer since the beginning of 2018.
• It's not just a rural problem. There were 976 such crashes in Franklin County during that stretch.

Be smart: AAA offers drivers these tips:

• Note the yellow, diamond-shaped road signs indicating areas with high levels of deer activity.
• Be especially attentive between 5-8am and 5-8pm, times when deer are most active.
• Don't swerve — keeping straight allows deer to move and avoids collisions with other vehicles.

🤫 Columbus maintained its title as the most foul-mouthed U.S. city for another year. (614 Magazine)

The Dispatch is suing the city of Columbus over the police department's new policy of withholding the names of officers who have shot people while on duty. (Cleveland.com)

🚓 The city broke ground Monday on the future site of a real-time crime and 911 call center in Linden. (WOSU)

🏗️ Quality Technology Services, a Kansas-based data center company, purchased 93 ares in New Albany this month, with plans to open four new centers in 2025. (WSYX-TV)

The week of membership giveaways continues. We're looking to celebrate our members, and gain 100+ more, through a week's worth of prize drawings.

• Become an Axios Columbus member for as little as $50 per year to support local journalism and get access to members-only emails, swag and more.

🔎 Today's item … a $100 gift card to COSI!

Of note: All members are automatically entered.

💙 Thank you for your support!

Sweepstakes rules apply.

👋 Alissa here with a quick preview of what you can expect to see at COSI if you win our giveaway: lots and lots of pink.

What's happening: I recently explored COSI's new Barbie exhibit, including this Barbie doll box you can customize for a photo-op, after learning about the iconic doll's many careers.

• While the interactive games are kid-focused, I still had fun making soup as a chef, programming robots as an engineer and taking photos of jungle animals as a wildlife photographer.

Of note: Bioluminescence, a look at nature's creatures of light, also opened this month at COSI.

Pro tip: The exhibits are smaller than the sprawling King Tutankhamun showcase from earlier this year, but they're free with general admission!