OH-Sen: Rob Portman enters race

Former Ohio Congressman, Bush Administration OMB Director, and US Trade Representative Rob Portman has announced he will run for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican George Voinovich:

Rob Portman will run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, the former Cincinnati congressman told The Enquirer.

"I've made up my mind. I really think that our state is in such deep economic trouble right now, and our country has so many challenges that it's time to step forward," Portman said in a phone interview.

Portman, 53, of Terrace Park, said he will make a formal announcement of his candidacy at an 11 a.m. event at the Golden Lamb in Lebanon. He'll then depart on a two-day campaign announcement tour through the state with stops in Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and ending back in Cincinnati with an event at the Montgomery Inn on Thursday.

The Republican is considered the top candidate in the Ohio Republican field at the moment; if former Rep. John Kasich winds up running for Governor against incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland, the party will have the strongest ticket they could have hoped for considering their thinning bench in this swing state.

Portman could face primary opposition (SSP and the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette mention former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell state auditor Mary Taylor, and former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine), but the state and national parties have made it fairly clear Portman is their guy.

There are a wealth of Democrats considering the race, including Congressmen Tim Ryan, Betty Sutton and Zack Space, Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, and possibly Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (though she's expected to run for reelection).

That's a strong field, and it means that the race is a tossup at the moment, even with Portman in the race. The GOP has their guy for the nomination, but they still have a long way to go (as does the Democratic Party) until the seat is won.