COLUMBUS, Ohio-The Koch brothers’ network said Tuesday it has canceled about $2.1 million worth of TV advertising next month on behalf of U.S. Sen.
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WASHINGTON-The Senate Democrats’ national campaign committee has delayed a planned OH ad blitz aimed at boosting Ted Strickland in his bid to oust GOP Sen.
“We regularly adjust strategy to maximize our resources and make sure we’re in the best possible position to win back the majority this November”, Shah said.
David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Strickland campaign, said the DSCC’s independent expenditures were replaced – not cancelled – by a more direct and immediate infusion. Portman has opened up a significant lead in the polls – he’s ahead by 7.5 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average – and Strickland has not led in a public poll since May.
Included in a new web ad campaign is a largely forgotten 2010 scandal involving prison workers at the Governor’s Residence that all but evaporated when Democrat Strickland lost re-election. The national committee is helping to foot the bill now for a pro-Strickland ad that went on the air last week, tying Portman to Trump and highlighting the two GOP candidates’ shared opposition to abortion-rights, among other issues.
Some Democrats in Washington privately bemoaned the Strickland ad for repeating Portman’s allegation. The Democrats need to pick up five seats to retake the majority (or four, if there’s a Democratic vice president to break tie votes). Defeat, however, could either force Clinton to have to compromise with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or leave the Democrats to oppose Trump as the minority.
National Republicans have pointed to Portman’s campaign as the best example of GOP senators running ahead of their party’s presidential nominee in hard swing states, praising the incumbent’s grassroots efforts and messaging. That combination proved detrimental to Strickland six years ago in his gubernatorial loss to John Kasich, a loss in large part caused by Cincinnati and Hamilton County going for the Republican.
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OH and national Democrats said they expect to see the race tighten in coming weeks as Strickland and outside groups expand their own spending on the contest, countering Portman’s messaging about Strickland’s tenure as governor. Why do you think Portman has been able to run successfully above Trump? Sound off in the comments!
