ohio sen. rob portman, a republican, won his bid for re-election tuesday, easily turning back a challenge from democrat and former gov. ted strickland in a campaign that was never as close as it was expected to be early in the cycle. mr. portman ran one of the strongest senate campaigns on the map, focusing on local issues and those of interest to many ohioans in a way that allowed him to avoid the difficulties posed by his party<u+2019>s presidential nominee, donald trump. mr. strickland, 75 years old, who served as governor from 2007 to 2011 and was a member of the house before that, ran a more traditional campaign, focusing on jobs, the economy and his tenure as governor navigating a state hard hit by the recession. but he was outraised and outspent by mr. portman, who got out of the gates early and became a model for other candidates with his local focus, emphasizing his efforts to combat algae blooms in lake erie and even running advertisements in ukrainian aimed at ohio<u+2019>s ethnic population. his strength prompted the democratic senatorial campaign committee to cancel some advertising in the state, a further setback for mr. strickland. mr. portman, 60, has a long resume in government. he worked in the legislative affairs office of the first bush white house before being elected to the house in a special election in 1993, where he served until 2005; he then joined the administration of george w. bush, first as u.s. trade representative, then budget director through 2007. write to siobhan hughes at siobhan.hughes@wsj.com
rob portman wins ohio senate race - wsj
siobhan hughes