Donald Trump is now the presumptive Republican nominee, but not every lawmaker is ready to rally behind him yet.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), who is facing a tough re-election in 2016, says that he is sticking with Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
"John Kasich is Rob's choice for President. He supports him strongly. John Kasich says he is in the race until someone gets to 1,237 delegates and Rob is his friend, believes in him, and will continue to help him,” Portman campaign spokesperson Michawn Rich said in a statement to TPM.
And what happen just a little bit ago?
Ohio Gov. John Kasich plans to withdraw from the 2016 Republican presidential race on Wednesday, becoming the latest candidate with much-vaunted executive experience to abandon his bid for the White House, according to reports.
Kasich was the final Republican challenger to Donald Trump after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) suspended his campaign following Trump’s victory in Indiana on Tuesday. The only nominating contest Kasich won was in his home state of Ohio, but he had hoped to force a contested Republican convention and earn the nomination there.
Seen as a tested alternative to other establishment-friendly candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Kasich entered the race by touting his wealth of experience and his desire to balance the federal budget. He cast himself as a “compassionate conservative,” highlighting his work to expand the safety net in Ohio for low-income people and people who struggle with drug addiction. As a popular governor of the ultimate swing state, Kasich gave some Democrats serious pause as they contemplated the prospect of him becoming the GOP presidential nominee.
But the momentum never really materialized for him.
Portman’s campaign said they wouldn’t consider Trump until Kasich was out of the race. Well now he looks like he has to which is going to be a real treat for former Governor Ted Strickland (D. OH):
In Ohio, GOP presidential politics are likewise having an effect on the party's Senate calculus. As Amber Phillips of The Washington Post points out, incumbent Sen. Rob Portman — facing a Democratic challenge from former Gov. Ted Strickland — recently opened himself up to flip-flopping charges when he reneged on his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sprawling trade pact with 11 other countries for which he voted for fast-track approval rules. Though Ohio has seen an outflow in manufacturing jobs, Portman, a former trade ambassador, more likely changed his tune because of the anti-trade sentiment being fanned by Trump.
In addition to the flip-flop charge, Strickland's campaign has also kept Trump front and center, repeatedly highlighting Portman's decision to back whoever the Republican nominee is. In what is expected to be one of the tighter races, Strickland leads Portman by only a single percentage point, a recent PPP poll found.
And Strickland has kept up tying Portman to Trump in this e-mail I received from his campaign today:
With the results in Indiana, and the decisions by John Kasich and Ted Cruz to exit the race we know one thing for sure: Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.
I don't need to tell you what's at stake -- as goes Ohio so goes the nation. The White House. The Senate. The Supreme Court. The stakes have never been more real.
Today we know that Rob Portman will be running alongside Donald Trump. For nearly a year, as Donald Trump spewed hate, mocked people with disabilities, attacked POWs, women and people of color, Rob Portman continued to back him. Then he even took it a step further and said he "intends to support" Trump if he is the GOP nominee.
Now we know what we’re up against:
- A party led by Donald Trump
- A GOP that is placing all their chips on Ohio
- A Senator who’s spent a career earning IOUs from the billionaire class
So it’s time to take a stand.
If you believe that a politics of inclusion trumps a politics of hate, I need you to stand with me.
If you believe that our country is great when it welcomes diverse voices and opens its arms to new communities, I need you to stand with me.
If you believe that climate change is real and that our fight for equal pay, to make college affordable, and retirement secure will define our future, I need you to stand with me.
If you believe that our democracy doesn’t belong to a couple of millionaires and billionaires but that we all have a stake in our elections, I need you to stand with me.
Right here, right now, as goes Ohio so goes the nation. Donald Trump, Rob Portman – meet our grassroots movement. Be a part of it right now – chip in $5 to help me prove our strength against Rob Portman and Donald Trump.
I’m ready for this fight. I’m more determined than ever to win. Now, more than ever, I need you to stand with me.
Thanks for all you do,
Ted