LIMA — As this year’s campaign enters its final weekend, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, touted his record in the Senate during a speech Friday at the Allen County Republican Party monthly luch at the Lima Eagles.
Running for re-election against former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Portman outlined his priorities should he be sent back to Washington, D.C.
“We’ve got to bring this country back together and start to solve problems,” he said. “We need to get the economy moving after another disappointing jobs report today, and we need to ensure we’re better protecting our country with terrorism out there and other threats to national security.”
Portman also pointed back to his record in the Senate, highlighting leglislation like the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which aims to combat rampant opioid addiction.
“We’ve got to help those who have fallen through the cracks in this county and other counties,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are now addicted to heroin and prescription drugs. We’ve got to deal with this issue more aggressively. I’ve had legislation to do it that passed, but we need to do more.”
Portman also criticized Strickland’s record, both as governor and in Congress, pointing to what he saw as a lack of results in those positions.
“Look at our two records,” he said. “There have been 45 of my bills in the Senate alone that have helped Ohio families and workers that have been signed into law. When Ted Strickland was in the House, where he served for 12 years, not a single bill he wrote or co-authored passed into law.”
Strickland campaign spokesman David Bergstein disputed that assertion, maintaining that Portman’s accomplishments have not benefited all Ohioans, but rather a select few.
“Unlike Senator Portman who has done nothing in Congress except push the agenda of the wealthy and well-connected, Ted passed landmark legislation expanding healthcare for children, he opposed the kind of job killing trade deals that Senator Portman has championed which have cost Ohio over 300,000 jobs to places like China and Mexico, and by the time Ted left office as governor Ohio had the 5th fastest growing economy in the entire country,” he said.
At the Republican lunch, however, Portman remained very confident in his chances, citing grassroots efforts as his advantage.
“I feel like this is going to be a very good year for Republicans, and I feel like our grassroots efforts are going to pay off,” he said.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
