Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland announced Wednesday that he will challenge incumbent GOP Sen. Rob Portman in 2016, delivering Democrats a big-name recruit as they look to play offense and re-take control of the Senate in 2016.
“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,” Mr. Strickland said in a statement.
Mr. Strickland, also a former congressman, was elected governor in 2006 but lost to current Ohio Gov. John Kasich in his 2010 re-election bid.
The entrance of Mr. Strickland into the race adds a high-profile name to what will undoubtedly be a hotly contested contest, though Democratic Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld recently announced he would run as well.
Although Democrats were mainly forced to defend their incumbents during a 2014 midterm cycle where they lost a net of nine seats, Republicans will be have to defend more than twice as many seats as Democrats in 2016, a presidential year.
Mr. Portman, a former congressman who also served in the George W. Bush administration, said that he welcomes Mr. Strickland back to Ohio and looks forward to a candid exchange of ideas during a critical time.
“Ohio families deserve a senator who will fight for their future and they can’t afford to go backward with Governor Strickland,” Mr. Portman said.
Senate Republicans’ campaign arm was a bit more aggressive with its response to the news, calling Mr. Strickland a “terrible governor for Ohio families” who oversaw 350,000 jobs lost during his time in office and highlighting his work for the lobbying arm of the liberal Center for American Progress in Washington.
“The choice is clear: it’s either back to the Strickland days of record unemployment or moving our economy forward with Ohio’s Rob Portman.” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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