CBS and MSNBC are projecting that Rob Portman will win the race for U.S. Senate in Ohio, a major lift for a Republican who was initially expected to be one of the most endangered senators in the cycle.
Since the beginning, Portman took his race against Democratic former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland seriously, building an extensive ground game independent of the presidential campaign and aggressively fundraising. By mid-summer, Portman was leading his opponent by double digits as his Republican colleagues in other tight Senate races struggled to escape Trump’s shadow.
TPM’s PollTracker had Portman leading Strickland by 18.3 points, a remarkable spread in a state President Barack Obama won in 2012.
Portman endured a long, hot summer of Trump’s rhetoric, all the while sticking by the Republican nominee as Trump attacked a Muslim Gold Star Family and doubled down on his restrictionist immigration policies. However, Portman was among those Republicans in October who cut ties with Trump after audio surfaced of Trump bragging about forcing himself on women he was attracted to.
“While I continue to respect those who still support Donald Trump, I can no longer support him,” Portman said in a statement “I continue to believe our country cannot afford a Hillary Clinton presidency. I will be voting for Mike Pence for President.”
It appears that didn’t cost Portman a thing.
I’m not an Ohioan and I didn’t follow closely the dynamics of this race. But it seems to me the Dems can’t keep recycling Ted Strickland who’s 15 years older than Portman even as they try to make the case that change is needed in the Senate. Wiki tells me Strickland was beaten by Kasich for governor, he also lost Congressional races earlier and it might strike voters that he’s a pol looking for a job somewhere, anywhere. So, I’ll wait for someone who’s a closer observer than I to tell me why I’m wrong.
He just barely lost to Kasich in the wave year of 2010, so that wasn’t his fault. There was about $50 million in negative Koch ads against him this time, but this is a bad loss. Maybe a cabinet position is in order, and we can let Richard Cordray run statewide next time.
Well that sucks.
Well the white majority folk have had their say, so there you go – holding on to principles and such.
I was born in Dayton and graduated from Chaminade High School there but am certainly glad I no longer live there.