The Youngstown Vindicator newspaper reports former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland will challenge Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman next year.
Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles has been trying to confirm the report.
Ted Strickland has been considered as a possible candidate to run for the Democratic nomination for US Senate. And he’s said he’s interested. But Strickland’s former campaign advisor, Sandy Theis, says he hasn’t thrown his hat in the ring yet.
Theis “Well, Ted Strickland is seriously considering a run for the U.S. Senate and he has not announced a decision.”
Theis says if Strickland decides to run, he’ll be a strong contrast to Rob Portman when it comes to trade issues.
Theis “Rob Portman has a terrible record on trade and Ted Strickland has a long record of support trade policies that don’t outsource jobs from Ohio. These trade policies have really hurt the state and I think this is a growing problem and I think it shows a really strong contrast between the two. I mean, Portman was George Bush’s trade guy.”
Strickland has always enjoyed strong support from Ohio’s major labor unions and should be able to raise money for his effort if he decides to do it. Theis says there’s another reason Strickland would be a good choice.
Theis “I think Ted Strickland is uniquely positioned to help turnout the swing voters in Appalachia and those are the same voters who could help deliver Ohio and the White House to Hillary.”
Hillary Clinton, that is. Former Secretary of State Clinton also hasn’t announced she’s running for President but she’s widely considered to be the Democrats’ top choice. Meredith Tucker with the Ohio Democratic Party also says Strickland is still considering the possibilities.
Tucker “You know Governor Strickland has publicly said that he is considering running and that process is still ongoing but there’s nothing to confirm today.”
Though Strickland hasn’t yet confirmed that he’s running, the Ohio Republican Party has put out a statement on a possible Strickland candidacy. It says Strickland lost his re-election for Governor because of job losses…..350,000 job losses to be precise. Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges says “Ohioans won’t forget what he did to our state or how he abandoned it when he lost power.” If Strickland enters the race for the Democratic nomination for Senator, he’ll join Cincinnati City Council Member P.G. Sittenfeld who entered the race earlier this month. Congressional Representative Tim Ryan has indicated he might also run for the post.
