Democratic Senate nominee Ted Strickland’s campaign attacked Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) following reports that he’s an early contender to be considered as Donald Trump’s running mate.
A Trump campaign source told CNN on Wednesday that Portman, along with a few other lawmakers, are being floated as early possibilities to run on a ticket with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
{mosads}Portman spokesman Kevin Smith responded that the GOP senator is “not interested” and “focused on his own race.”
In a Thursday statement, Strickland spokeswoman Liz Margolis condemned Portman’s record and said Trump and the senator are mirror images.
“It’s no surprise that Donald Trump wants Senator Portman to be his Vice President because on many issues Trump and Portman share the same toxic agenda: both oppose a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions, higher wages for working people, and have a record of pushing the agenda of the wealthy and well-connected at Ohio’s expense,” Margolis said.
“And by refusing to do his job and consider the Supreme Court nominee, Portman has also made it clear that he’s happy to let Trump reshape the Supreme Court for generations,” she added.
Now that Trump is the last man standing in the Republican race, the attention has shifted to his choice for running mate. He said he’ll announce his pick prior to the Republican National Convention in July and said it will likely be an elected official. In a Thursday interview, Trump said there’s “probably a 40 percent chance” he’ll choose someone who ran in the GOP primary.
Strickland will face Portman in what is considered to be one of the most competitive races this cycle. Ohio is a crucial presidential battleground state and went for President Obama in 2008 and 2012.
On Wednesday, Senate Democratic hopefuls were quick to link their opponents to the real estate mogul in the hopes that the comparison would help them regain the majority in the upper chamber.
Strickland spokesman David Bergstein said Trump at the top of the ticket is an “election nightmare” for Portman.
Portman, who backed Kasich, has said he would ultimately support whoever wins the nomination. Like other vulnerable GOP incumbents, he says he’ll be able to localize his election despite Trump’s ability to dominate a media cycle.