Ohio Dem wants Portman to reverse Trump pledge

Democratic Senate candidate P.G. Sittenfeld is calling on Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to reverse his pledge to support Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump if the business mogul wins the GOP nomination.

“This isn’t funny or entertaining anymore. Donald Trump has gone from being a buffoonish carnival barker to something darker and far more dangerous,” Sittenfeld says in a video released Tuesday, in the wake of Trump announcing his desire to bar Muslims for entering the United States.

“So today, I call on Ohio Senator Rob Portman to renounce the pledge he made on Sept. 14 to support Donald Trump for president should he win the Republican nomination,” Sittenfeld continued.

“Donald Trump is not fit to be President of the United States — and Rob Portman should have the guts to say so,” he added.

When Portman was asked in September whether he would support the real estate mogul in the general election if he won the nomination, he replied, “I intend to.”

He added: “I guess you could come up with some scenario where something crazy could happen, but I think the country’s in trouble and I think if we don’t have new leadership and new policies, it’s hard to imagine it getting back on track.”

Many GOP presidential hopefuls were also quick to condemn Trump’s controversial proposal.

Sittenfeld is running a long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination. His primary opponent, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, has already been endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Portman, a vulnerable Republican incumbent, is running for reelection in one of the key Senate races in 2016 as Democrats need to net five seats in order to regain the majority in the upper chamber.

In a RealClearPolitics average of Ohio polls, Strickland narrowly edges out Portman, 43.5 to 43 percent.