Ted Strickland is not going to let his opponent, Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, get away with sending his staff out to give this kind of mealy-mouthed deflection of Donald Trump.
The junior senator's support of Trump—who continues to be the subject of take-down tweets from Gov. John Kasich—again was brought up by Democrats in response to Trump's feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim-American parents of a soldier killed in Iraq."Rob does not agree with Donald Trump's remarks and believes that Capt. Khan was an American hero who gave his life for his country," said Portman campaign spokeswoman Michawn Rich. "As he has said previously many times, Rob does not agree with the idea of banning people from entering the country based on their religion."
Portman might not agree with Trump's remarks, but what's he going to do mabout it? That's what Ted Strickland and veteran and and former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan want to know.
"Donald Trump's attacks on the Khan family fly right in the face of the values that we believe in here in Ohio and across the country—and Senator Portman's continued support for Trump is a clear example of how Portman is putting his own political interests ahead of our country," said Ted Strickland. "The Khan family and every family that sacrifices for our country deserves our eternal gratitude. And while many Ohio and national Republicans, including Governor Kasich, have shown the courage to stand up against Trump, Portman has chosen political cowardice. The question I have is: how low can Donald Trump go before Rob Portman takes a stand for Ohio and retracts his endorsement? The truth is if Senator Portman won't stand up to Trump, there's no way we can trust him to stand up for Ohio."