Portman Promises To ‘Turn The Tide’ Of Opioid Epidemic In First TV Campaign Ads
The Ohio senator is in a tough reelection fight against former Gov. Ted Strickland and is focusing on touting his work fighting the crisis that has hit his state particularly hard.
The Washington Post:
In Tough Reelection Fight, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman’s First TV Ads Focus On Efforts To Combat Heroin Epidemic
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), running for reelection in one of the most important contests in the battle for the Senate majority, is going up with his first TV ads of 2016, three commercials that seek to highlight his record fighting Ohio's severe prescription drug and heroin addiction problems. The commercials, shared with The Washington Post and slated to hit the airwaves Wednesday, are in line with a broader Senate Republican strategy to talk mostly about local issues this year, in order to create some distance from the top of the ticket. Senate GOP officials have instructed Republican senators to run as though they are running for sheriff. Many dodged and diverted when recently asked whether they would campaign with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. (Sullivan, 5/31)
The Hill:
Portman Focuses On Heroin Fight In New Ads
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is pointing to his work fighting opioid addiction in new ads as he faces a tough reelection race this year. One ad focuses on Portman’s work on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which passed the Senate in March. (Sullivan, 5/31)
Morning Consult:
Portman Is No Newcomer To Battling Drug Abuse
For two and a half weeks in February, Sen. Rob Portman worried that his opioid bill, the product of two decades of work fighting drug abuse, was going to become a political football in the Senate. He was determined to keep that from happening. ... Portman bristles at any suggestion that his work on CARA has anything to do with his campaign. He has been pushing the bill for three years along with his partner in the effort, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). He has been heavily invested in tackling drug addiction for the past 22 years. He has chosen to do so through what he calls “demand-side” policies, which focus on prevention and education rather than the war on drugs themselves. (Owens, 5/31)
In other news from the 2016 Senate campaigns —
Morning Consult:
Outside Groups Target Wisconsin As Johnson Holds VA Hearing
A conservative group is doubling down, accusing Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate Russ Feingold of ignoring problems at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Tomah, Wisc., when he was in the Senate. And on Tuesday – as Republican Sen. Ron Johnson planned to hold a field hearing of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in Tomah – Senate Democrats attempted to turn it against the vulnerable Republican. ... [Feingold] aired an ad of his own claiming, “On Tomah, it was Ron Johnson who failed.” (Yokley, 5/31)
