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Senate 2016: the 10 hottest races

The battle for control of the Senate is heating up. Here are the hottest races. 

6. Ohio: Rob Portman (R), incumbent

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/File
Sen. Rob Portman (R) of Ohio walks from the Senate subway on Capitol Hill in Washington. Senator Portman is maneuvering with care as he runs for reelection in Ohio while cautiously supporting a free-trade deal that some in his home state fear could lead to more job losses.

Democrats got their favored candidate in former Gov. Ted Strickland, who announced on Feb. 25. Mr. Strickland faces a primary challenge by P.G. Sittenfeld, a member of the Cincinnati City Council, but so far Strickland is beating Mr. Sittenfeld handily in polls. (Though keep an eye on Sittenfeld for the future.)

A Portman-Strickland general election race could be close. An early June survey by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling has Portman leading by just 2 percentage points, 43 percent to 41 percent. But Portman could prove difficult to beat. He is a respected moderate in the Senate, and served as US trade representative and budget director under President George W. Bush. He was on Mitt Romney’s short list for running mate in 2012, and stood in for President Obama in debate prep (a role Portman has performed since the 1990s for many Republican friends).

Strickland served in the US House during the 1990s and 2000s, and then served as governor for one term (2007-2011) before his defeat by now-Gov. John Kasich (R). Strickland is also an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

Cook, Sabato, and Rothenberg-Gonzales all call the race lean Republican. 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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