Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman is quick to give credit to everyone for his large election night victory over former Ohio governor Ted Strickland in November. He reels off kudos to his army of thousands of young interns who were deployed across the state, the robust Ohio state GOP party infrastructure, sitting Gov. John Kasich, and the new voters inspired by President-elect Trump’s candidacy.
The truth of the matter is it was mostly Portman himself, said Paul Sracic, a Youngstown State political science professor who closely monitored the election.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner last week, Portman eventually gives himself some credit. “You know, we were down nine points in the first poll showing us going head to head with Strickland. I decided right then that my argument to the voters was going to be pretty simple; I listened to concerns in their communities, I talked to them about what I had already done in the Senate, and then discussed the things I needed to do going forward,” he said.
“I kept the message within those lines and positive the entire time. I think that is what the voters wanted, an honest assessment of what I could do and what they needed, and you combine that with all of the other help I outlined and we won,” he said.
A failure to appreciate the concerns of voters in the Midwestern industrial states is exactly what many on both sides of the aisle believe help sink Hillary Clinton and other Democrats on Election Day.
Portman’s seat was targeted early in 2015 by Democrats as winnable and a step towards regaining the majority in the Senate. Democrats became even more confident of the seat when Trump won the GOP nomination for president. Portman ended up winning his seat by an astounding 21 percentage points.
His approach was humble, authentic, genuine and connected with the state’s voters said Sracic.
Portman defined Strickland early on, even when he was behind, tying him to the economic downfall the state felt during Strickland’s tenure as governor, which was from 2007-2011, and it worked.
It also didn’t hurt that Strickland lost his bid for re-election in 2010, which tainted him with voters.
“Now it’s time for the important part, governing,” said Portman who was in Trump Tower two weeks before Christmas.
“I was there for some policy meetings on issues that include tax reform and regulatory reform,” he said.
