Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman has defeated former Gov. Ted Strickland in a race that once looked like one of the Democrats’ best bets to flip a Senate seat.
Portman, a former U.S. trade representative and budget director, was first elected to the Senate in 2010. He ran a strong campaign, branding Strickland early on as “Retread Ted” and tying him to Ohio’s sinking economy during Strickland’s governorship, which coincided with the national recession.
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Portman kept Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at a distance leading up to Tuesday’s election. Portman didn’t campaign with Trump and withdrew his endorsement when a 2005 tape of Trump making lewd comments about kissing and groping women surfaced last month.
Portman’s TV ads touted his work to combat the heroin epidemic, including a new law Portman co-sponsored.
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