Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) on Thursday suggested that the national debate about the Islamic State and terrorism has likely strengthened the Republican party recently.
During an interview on Bloomberg’s “With All Due Respect,” Portman was asked about the state of the GOP.
“I think the party is strong for a couple reasons. One, we’re in a period in our country’s history, sadly, where we have a threat from abroad again. And people tend to look to Republicans to help protect the country,” Portman said in response.
“I’m certainly finding that back home. It’s probably the top issue I’m getting. I had a tele-town hall meeting yesterday with seniors about, you know, issues like Social Security and Medicare, but what came up, you know? ISIS,” he continued. “And I think that, probably based on the polling I’ve seen, what I hear, it probably helps the Republican Party.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) made similar remarks in November following the terrorist attacks in Paris.
“I obviously am not happy about the events that happened last week in Paris,” Rubio said on “Fox News Sunday.” “But I think it’s a positive development that it suddenly has forced Americans to confront more carefully the issue of national security because it is the most important thing a President will do and it is the most important function of the federal government.”
“I hope that we focus on that note more, not just for political advantage but because the world has become a very dangerous place,” Rubio continued.
