United States Senate election in Ohio, 2016

United States Senate election in Ohio, 2016

November 8, 2016

Nominee Rob Portman Ted Strickland Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent U.S. Senator Rob Portman Republican

The 2016 United States Senate election in Ohio will take place on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Ohio, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The close of registration for electors in the primary election was December 16, 2015, and the primary election took place on March 15, 2016.^[1] Portman will face former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. The race is a pure tossup and will help determine control of the Senate.

Republican primary

Republican Senator Rob Portman is running for re-election to a second term in office.^[2] He considered running for president in 2016,^[3][4][5] but ruled out running for two offices at the same time, even though Ohio law does allow it.^[3][6] He ultimately declined to run for president, though he is a potential candidate for vice president.^[2][7]The National Organization for Marriage and other socially conservative groups, unhappy with Portman's public backing for same-sex marriage, have pledged to back a primary challenger. Tea Party groups, who heavily backed Portman in 2010, have said that they are unlikely to do the same if he runs for re-election.^[8][9]

Candidates

Declared

• Don Elijah Eckhart, Independent candidate for OH-15 in 2008^[10]
• Rob Portman, incumbent Senator.^[2]

Disqualified

• Melissa Strzala, Tea Party activist (failed to gather enough valid signatures)^[11][12]

Declined

• Josh Mandel, Ohio State Treasurer and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2012^[3][13]
• Steve Stivers, U.S. Representative^[3][13]

Endorsements

Don Elijah Eckhart
Organizations Citizens for Community Values[14] Greene County Republican Party[14]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Don Elijah Eckhart	Rob Portman	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 4–6, 2016	638	± 3.9%	7%	60%	33%

Results

Republican primary results[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rob Portman	1,314,152	82.20
	Republican	Don Elijah Eckhart	284,544	17.80
Total votes			1,598,696	100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Kelli Prather, occupational therapist and community organizer^[11]
• P.G. Sittenfeld, Cincinnati City Councilman^[16][17][18]
• Ted Strickland, former Governor of Ohio and former U.S. Representative^[19]

Withdrawn

• Bob Hagan, former member of the Ohio State Board of Education and former State Representative^[3][20][21]

Declined

• Joyce Beatty, U.S. Representative^[16][22]
• John Boccieri, former U.S. Representative^[16][23]
• Jennifer Brunner, Judge on the Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals, former Ohio Secretary of State and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010^[16][20][24]
• Michael B. Coleman, Mayor of Columbus^[16][25][26]
• Richard Cordray, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, former Ohio Attorney General and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2000^[16]
• Connie Pillich, former State Representative and nominee for Ohio State Treasurer in 2014^[3][27]
• Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative^[28]
• Betty Sutton, Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and former U.S. Representative^[16][20]
• Nina Turner, former State Senator and nominee for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014^[3][29]
• Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton^[16][30]

Endorsements

P.G. Sittenfeld

U.S. Cabinet members and Cabinet-level officials Heather Zichal, former Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change (2009–2013)[31] U.S. Governors Dick Celeste, Ohio (former)[32] U.S. Representatives (former) David S. Mann (former Mayor of Cincinnati and current Cincinnati City Councilman)[33] Thomas C. Sawyer (current State Senator)[34] Ohio State Representatives (current) Emilia Sykes[34] Ohio State Representatives (former) Tracy Maxwell Heard (former House Majority Leader)[35] Mayors Dan Horrigan, mayor of Akron[34] Mark Mallory, former Mayor of Cincinnati[36] City Council members Chris Seelbach, Cincinnati City Councilman[33] Yvette Simpson, Cincinnati City Councilwoman[33] Wendell Young, Cincinnati City Councilman[33] County officials Russ Pry, Summit County Executive[34] Eileen Shapiro, Summit County Council President[34] Notable individuals Jonathan Banks, actor[37] Mark Hamill, actor[38] Jim Ruvolo, former Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party[39] Organizations Friends of the Earth[40] Newspapers Akron Beacon Journal[41] The Plain Dealer[42]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Kelli Prather	P.G. Sittenfeld	Ted Strickland	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	March 4–6, 2016	508	± 4.4%	6%	16%	50%	28%
Public Policy Polling	January 12–14, 2016	1,138	± ?	10%	10%	61%	18%
Public Policy Polling	June 4–7, 2015	360	± 5.2%	—	13%	65%	22%

Results

Democratic primary results[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ted Strickland	720,333	65.00
	Democratic	P.G. Sittenfeld	248,830	22.45
	Democratic	Kelli Prather	139,122	12.55
Total votes			1,108,285	100.00

Green primary

Candidates

Declared

• Joe DeMare, factory worker and environmentalist^[43]

Results

Green primary results[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Green	Joe DeMare	3,056	100.00
Total votes			3,056	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Rob Portman (R), incumbent Senator
• Ted Strickland (D), former Governor of Ohio and former U.S. Representative
• Joe DeMare (G), factory worker and environmentalist
• Scott Rupert (I), truck driver and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012^[44]

Endorsements

Rob Portman

U.S. Governors John Kasich, Ohio[45][46] Statewide officials Mike DeWine, Ohio Attorney General (former Senator from Ohio)[46] Jon A. Husted, Ohio Secretary of State[46] Josh Mandel, Ohio State Treasurer[46] Mary Taylor, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio[46] Dave Yost, Ohio State Auditor[46] U.S. Senators (former) George Voinovich, Ohio[46] U.S. Representatives (current) Steve Chabot, Ohio[45][46] Bob Gibbs, Ohio[45][46] Bill Johnson, Ohio[45][46] Jim Jordan, Ohio[45][46] David Joyce, Ohio[45][46] Bob Latta, Ohio[45][46] Jim Renacci, Ohio[45][46] Steve Stivers, Ohio[45][46] Pat Tiberi, Ohio[45][46] Mike Turner, Ohio[45][46] Brad Wenstrup, Ohio[45][46] U.S. Representatives (former) Steve Austria, Ohio[46] John Boehner, Ohio (former Speaker of the House)[45][46] Bill Gradison, Ohio[46] Dave Hobson, Ohio[46] Deborah Pryce, Ohio[46] Ralph Regula, Ohio[46] Jean Schmidt, Ohio[46] Diplomats John R. Bolton, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations[47] Organizations Ohio Right to Life[48] United States Chamber of Commerce[49]

Ted Strickland

Presidents Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States[50] Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States[51] Vice Presidents Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States[51] U.S. Cabinet members and Cabinet-level officials Hillary Clinton, 67th Secretary of State[52] U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown, Ohio[53] Al Franken, Minnesota[54] Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts[55] U.S. Representatives Joyce Beatty, Ohio[56][57] Marcia Fudge, Ohio[57] Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona (former)[38] Tim Ryan, Ohio[57] Ohio State Senators Edna Brown[58] Joe Schiavoni (Senate Minority Leader)[34] Ohio State Representatives (current) Kathleen Clyde[34] David J. Leland (former Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party)[35] Martin Sweeney[34] Ohio State Representatives (former) John Patrick Carney (nominee for Ohio State Auditor in 2014)[59] Connie Pillich (nominee for Ohio State Treasurer in 2014)[27] Mayors Michael B. Coleman, former Mayor of Columbus[26] Andrew Ginther, Mayor of Columbus[60] Paula Hicks-Hudson, Mayor of Toledo[58] Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton[30] Notable individuals Mary Jo Hudson, Columbus School Board Member and LGBT activist [61] James Obergefell, plaintiff in the Obergefell v. Hodges United States Supreme Court case[62] Labor unions AFL–CIO[63] OEA – Ohio Education Association[54] TWU – Transport Workers Union of America[64] UAW – United Automobile Workers[65] Organizations Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee[66] League of Conservation Voters[67] Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association[68] Ohio Democratic Party[69] People for the American Way[70]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[71]	Tossup	March 25, 2016
Daily Kos[72]	Lean R	March 30, 2016
Roll Call[73]	Tilt R	March 30, 2016
The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report[74]	Tossup/Tilt R	March 4, 2016
Sabato's Crystal Ball[75]	Tossup	April 7, 2016

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Rob Portman (R)	Ted Strickland (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	April 26–27, 2016	799	± 3.2%	38%	38%	1%	23%
Hart Research	April 5–7, 2016	500	± ?%	47%	45%	—	8%
Public Policy Polling	March 4–6, 2016	1,248	± 2.8%	40%	41%	—	19%
Quinnipiac University	February 16–20, 2016	1,539	± 2.5%	42%	44%	—	14%
Baldwin Wallace University	February 11–20, 2016	825	± 3.4%	44%	40%	—	16%
Quinnipiac University	September 25 – October 5, 2015	1,180	± 2.9%	43%	46%	1%	8%
Harstad Strategic Research	September 10–16, 2015	813	± 3.4%	43%	46%	—	11%
Quinnipiac University	August 7–18, 2015	1,096	± 3%	41%	44%	1%	10%
Quinnipiac University	June 4–15, 2015	1,191	± 2.8%	40%	46%	1%	13%
Vox Populi Polling	June 6–7, 2015	474	± 4.5%	47%	37%	—	16%
Public Policy Polling	June 4–7, 2015	859	± 3.3%	43%	41%	—	15%
Quinnipiac University	March 17–28, 2015	1,077	± 3%	39%	48%	—	13%
Public Policy Polling↑	March 2–3, 2015	946	± ?	45%	45%	—	10%

• # Poll conducted for Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic-aligned Super PAC.
• ↑ Poll conducted for the Ohio Democratic Party

References

1. "2016 Ohio Elections Calendar" (PDF). Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
2. Maggie Haberman (December 2, 2014). "Rob Portman won’t run for president in 2016". Politico. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
3. Livingston, Abby (January 9, 2014). "Whither Ohio as the Ultimate House Battleground?". Roll Call. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
4. Bernstein, Jonathan (August 26, 2014) "Everybody's Running (Rob Portman Edition)", Bloomberg View. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
5. Torry, Jack (August 26, 2014) "2016 preview?: Ohio Sen. Portman visits New Hampshire", Dayton Daily News. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
6. Conroy, Scott (August 26, 2014) "Portman Won't Run for Two Offices Simultaneously in 2016", RealClearPolitics. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
7. Stephen Koff (December 2, 2014). "Rob Portman has decided not to run for president". Cleveland.com. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
8. "Gay Marriage Foes Yet to Prove Formidable Threat to Rob Portman". NBC News. November 17, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
9. "GOP’s Ohio seat a ’16 prize". The Hill. January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
10. Torry, Jack (May 19, 2015). "Portman has conservative primary challenger". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
11. Rowland, Darrel; Ludlow, Randy (December 16, 2015). "Kasich joins GOP competitors in filing for Ohio primary". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
12. Johnson, Alan (January 1, 2016). "Martin O'Malley won't appear on Ohio's primary ballot". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
13. "Portman list of Ohio endorsements grows to 500". The Hill. February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
14. Santoscoy, Carlos (January 19, 2016). "Rob Portman Loses Greene County GOP Endorsement Over Gay Marriage". On Top Magazine. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
15. "Primary Election Results". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
16. Henry J. Gomez (September 3, 2014). "Who's next? A look at the depth of the Ohio Democratic Party bench after Ed FitzGerald". cleveland.com. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
17. Gomez, Henry J. (December 3, 2014). "P.G. Sittenfeld, Cincinnati councilman and potential U.S. Senate candidate, gets some national attention". cleveland.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
18. Coolidge, Sharon. "Sittenfeld: Yes, I'm running for U.S. Senate". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
19. Cheney, Kyle (February 25, 2014). "Ted Strickland running against Rob Portman in Ohio". Politico.
20. Vardon, Joe (May 8, 2013). "Ohio legislator to challenge Portman in ’16". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
21. "Who will face Portman in ’16?". The Columbus Dispatch. January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
22. Levinson, Alexis (December 3, 2014). "Congressman Considering Rob Portman Challenge in 2016". Roll Call. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
23. Barrett, Leslie (September 17, 2015). "Controversy over use of image of flag draped coffins in campaign ad". WFMJ. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
24. Gomez, Henry J. (March 2, 2015). "Jennifer Brunner mends fences with Ted Strickland, signals support for his U.S. Senate bid". Northeast Ohio Media Group. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
25. Sullivan, Lucas; Caruso, Doug (November 26, 2014). "Mayor Coleman announces he won't run next year". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
26. Gomez, Henry J. (March 12, 2015). "Turnout tanks to World War II levels, Zack Reed meets Rand Paul: Ohio Politics Roundup". Northeast Ohio Media Group. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
27. Pillich, Connie (March 13, 2015). "Proud to endorse @ted_strickland for US Senate. He's a proven leader dedicated to improving education & the economy in OH". Twitter. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
28. Levinson, Alexis (February 13, 2015). "Rep. Tim Ryan declines to run for U.S. Senate against Rob Portman". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
29. Gomez, Henry J. (November 15, 2014). "Nina Turner vows to stay involved in politics after election loss: 'I'm not going anywhere'". cleveland.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
30. Pitman, Michael D. (February 27, 2015). "Dayton mayor: Portman is "formidable" but still beatable". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
31. Zichal, Heather (September 8, 2015). "We need lawmakers who will fight for a clean environment". The Hill. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
32. Welsh-Huggins, Andrew (February 11, 2016). "Ex-Ohio Gov. Celeste backs unendorsed underdog for US Senate". JournalNews. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
33. Wehrman, Jessica (January 26, 2015). "Democratic city council members endorse Sittenfeld". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
34. Pelzer, Jeremy (January 19, 2016). "Ted Strickland, PG Sittenfeld unveil Northeast Ohio endorsements". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
35. Drusch, Andrea (January 13, 2016). "Ted Strickland's Ohio Woes". National Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
36. Gomez, Henry (February 19, 2015). "P.G. Sittenfeld lands more supporters". The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
37. Leggate, James (February 24, 2016). "Jonathan Banks of 'Breaking Bad' endorses PG Sittenfeld for Senate". WCPO-TV. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
38. Butts, Rebecca (March 8, 2016). "'Luke Skywalker,' Giffords pick sides in Senate race". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
39. Troy, Tom (July 22, 2015). "Jim Ruvolo concerned over David Pepper’s treatment of Senate candidate Sittenfeld". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
40. "Friends of the Earth Action endorses PG Sittenfeld for Senate". Friends of the Earth Action. February 16, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
41. "For the U.S. Senate: P.G. Sittenfeld in the Democratic primary". Akron Beacon Journal. February 27, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
42. Jablonski, Ray (February 29, 2016). "PG Sittenfeld gains endorsement; Kasich avoids Sebring backlash; Dave Yost won't vote for Trump: Top 5 at 5". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
43. "Green Party candidate in Ohio pursuing 2016 Senate bid". WFMJ. June 9, 2015.
44. Ludlow, Randy (March 10, 2016). "Truck driver plans independent run for U.S. Senate". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
45. Easley, Jonathan (February 3, 2015). "Portman list of Ohio endorsements grows to 500". The Hill. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
46. Troy, Tom (January 8, 2015). "Portman campaign releases daunting list of endorsements for re-nomination". The Blade. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
47. Arkin, James (January 8, 2016). "Bolton Endorses 16 for Re-Election to Congress". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
48. "Primary Endorsements" (PDF). Ohio Right to Life PAC. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
49. Troy, Tom (March 29, 2016). "Portman claims endorsement in re-election bid". The Blade. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
50. Koff, Stephen (March 31, 2015). "Bill Clinton endorses Ted Strickland for U.S. Senate". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
51. Pelzer, Jeremy (March 2, 2016). "Ted Strickland endorsed by President Obama, Vice President Biden". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
52. Debenedetti, Gabriel (August 27, 2015). "Clinton: Strickland 'will be an important voice in the Senate'". Politico. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
53. Shesgreen, Deirdre (March 9, 2015). "Ohio's top Democrat backs Ted Strickland for Senate". USA Today. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
54. Gomez, Henry J. (October 9, 2015). "John Kasich launches a big New Hampshire bus tour as his super PAC allies preview their new strategy: Ohio Politics Roundup". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
55. Drusch, Andrea (December 13, 2015). "Elizabeth Warren’s Early Impact on the Senate Majority Fight". National Journal. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
56. Shesgreen, Deirdre (February 25, 2015). "Strickland is running for Senate – & so is PG Sittenfeld". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
57. Koff, Stephen (March 6, 2015). "Ted Strickland vs. P.G. Sittenfeld: Potential primary getting testy". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
58. Troy, Tom (February 17, 2016). "Local Democrats split Sittenfeld endorsement". The Blade. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
59. Gomez, Henry J. (March 13, 2015). "Inbox: John Patrick Carney, last year's Democratic candidate for state auditor, has endorsed @Ted_Strickland in #OHSEN". Twitter. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
60. Wehrman, Jessica (March 9, 2015). "Ex-Gov. Ted Strickland gains support for U.S. Senate run". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
61. Vitale, Bob (June 4, 2015). "Strickland Promises His Support ‘Beyond Marriage Equality’". Outlook Magazine. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
62. Smyth, Julie Carr (December 14, 2015). "Ohio gay-marriage plaintiff Jim Obergefell backs Strickland over Portman". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
63. "Political briefs – Oct. 6". Morrow County Sentinel. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
64. Pitman, Michael D. (January 29, 2016). "Campaign notes: Strickland continues to focus on Portman". JournalNews. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
65. Chavez, Jon (September 2, 2015). "UAW 2B endorses Strickland for Senate". The Blade. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
66. Sullivan, Sean (March 10, 2015). "DSCC endorses Strickland as Sittenfeld remains in Ohio". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
67. Troy, Tom (March 25, 2016). "Environmental advocacy group endorses Strickland". The Blade. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
68. Pelzer, Jeremy (January 28, 2016). "PG Sittenfeld seeks constitutional change allowing stricter local gun rules: Notes from Ohio's U.S. Senate campaign". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
69. NEOMG, Staff (April 11, 2015). "Ted Strickland wins Ohio Democratic Party endorsement". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
70. "PFAW Endorses Ted Strickland for Senate". People for the American Way. April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
71. "2016 Senate Race Ratings for March 25, 2016". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
72. "Election Outlook: 2016 Race Ratings". Daily Kos. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
73. "2016 Race Ratings". Roll Call. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
74. "Senate Ratings". The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
75. "2016 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved April 7, 2016.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Joe DeMare for Senate (G)
• Rob Portman for Senate (R)
• Scott Rupert for Senate (I)
• Ted Strickland for Senate (D)