Portman’s Fundraising Firewall Improves
Republican Senate incumbent raises $2.9 million in second quarter
Sen. Rob Portman’s campaign announced Wednesday the Ohio Republican had raised $2.9 million for the second quarter of 2016 and nearly $1 million for the state GOP.
Portman also announced he had more than $13 million in cash on hand. In the previous quarter, Portman had $13.5 million on hand, showing his campaign has a steady stream of revenue.
The announcement also comes on the heels of Portman’s campaign announcing a $1 million statewide ad buy showing his support of the steel industry against unfair practices from China. In May, Portman’s campaign said it would reserve $15 million in advertising through Election Day.
The fundraising gives Portman a huge advantage against his opponent, former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, who in the first quarter raised only $1.5 million and had only $2.6 million in cash on hand.
But David Bergstein, Strickland’s communications director, said despite the fundraising efforts, Portman hasn’t been able to knock off Strickland.
“Rob Portman is the Jeb Bush of senate candidates,” Bergstein said in a statement. “He and his allies have already spent over $30 million on false attacks, and they’ve failed to dislodge Ted’s standing in the polls or provide Ohioans any convincing argument to re-elect Sen. Portman.”
A Quinnipiac poll from June showed Portman and Strickland tied.
Contact Garcia at EricGarcia@cqrollcall.com and follow him on Twitter @EricMGarcia
