I like this new line of attack:
Ohio Democrats are tying Rob Portman to Trump University by making it about education.
The Ohio Democratic Party released a statement on Wednesday calling on the Republican senator, who is running for re-election against former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland , to denounce Trump University.
Ohio's teachers unions went further, calling it a "scam."
"The Trump University scam is not only an insult to teachers, students and our entire education system, it scammed real people out of their hard-earned money," said Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. "Sen. Portman has endorsed Donald Trump, and he must step forward and condemn the Trump University scam — or at least explain why he hasn’t."
Meanwhile, Strickland is out with a new ad highlighting his roots:
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland’s Senate campaign released a new digital ad Wednesday highlighting his personal connection to the Appalachian region of Southeast Ohio.
The ad, titled “Lived It,” focuses heavily on biography and aims to set a contrast between Strickland and Republican incumbent Rob Portman, who are facing off in one of the most competitive and critical Senate elections this year.
The ad notes that Strickland’s father was a steelworker, and that the former governor was the only one of the nine children in his family to go to college. It shows a rural setting in Ohio and notes that Strickland grew up on a road called “Duck Run.” It then shows a high-end suburban home and says Portman grew up in “the most expensive neighborhood in Cincinnati.”
The ad also contrasts the two candidates’ early education, asserting that Portman attended an “elite private school” while Strickland attended a one-room schoolhouse.
“I’m somebody who is keenly aware of where I came from,” Strickland says in the ad. “I see these people as my friends. Now of course, I don’t know everyone in this congressional district, but I think I know their stories. I know their hopes and aspirations.”
Strickland’s campaign is heavily focused on winning in this area:
The former Ohio governor plans stops in Struthers, Lisbon, Martins Ferry and Marietta on Wednesday. Thursday stops have not yet been released.
The Democrat is expected to remind voters in the union-heavy region of his pro-labor record as he seeks to unseat Republican Rob Portman. Portman landed the endorsement last week of the United Mine Workers of America's National Council of Coal Miners PAC. COMPAC backed both Strickland's runs for governor.
In tandem with the planned visits, the Strickland campaign launched what it's calling an Appalachian regional website Tuesday. The site focuses on Portman not growing up in the region.
This is one tight race but it’s we can and have to win in order to take back the Senate. Click here to donate and get involved with Strickland’s campaign.