Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate on Wednesday.
As Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld (D) has already announced his candidacyStrickland’s announcement means there will be two Democratic candidates running in the primary for the nomination to face Portman.
Portman has already begun preparing for a potentially serious general election challenge. A super PAC supporting Portman hopes to raise between $5 million and $10 million independent of the incumbent senator’s campaign.
Read Strickland’s full statement below:
“I’m running for the United States Senate in 2016 because I am determined to restore the American Dream for working people in this country,” said Strickland. “I believe in the American Dream because I’ve lived it. I grew up in rural Scioto County as the eighth of nine children, and was the first person in my family to go to college. My father was a proud steelworker and my hard-working mother devoted her life to raising our family. I know how difficult it is to move up in this world, and the deck is increasingly stacked against working people.
“Today, we are producing, building, creating and discovering more than ever before, and yet, for the middle-class, getting ahead has never been harder,” Strickland said. “I believe that if you’re willing to work hard every day and play by the rules, you shouldn’t go to bed worrying about tomorrow.
“To save the American Dream, we need to go back to the basics. We need to create living-wage jobs and invest in the kind of infrastructure projects that benefit our communities. We need to make college more accessible and affordable so that our young people can get an education, get a job, and start saving to buy a home, support their families and retire with a sense of dignity and security. We need to make smart choices on fair trade that reward the worker instead of the wealthy.
“If we do this, we can put our country back on the right path and bring opportunity for all.”
Democrats had speculated that if Strickland decided to jump into the race, Sittenfeld would step aside. National Journal, citing sources close to Strickland, reported that Sittenfeld had indicated to party leaders that he might drop out if the former governor jumped in. But Sittenfeld, in a statement, said that he would stay in the primary. Here’s the statement:
I’m in this race to offer new ideas for strengthening the middle class, growing educational opportunity, increasing wages, promoting a clean energy future, and ensuring a secure retirement for our seniors – all things that Rob Portman has failed to do during his quarter of a century in Washington. As I have said before, I admire Ted Strickland, but my focus is not on who is or isn’t in the primary, it’s on the principles and the people I’m fighting for.
This post has been updated.
