Portman defeats Strickland

Republican Sen. Rob Portman won the Senate race in Ohio over former governor and congressman Ted Strickland (D).

In the first absentee voter results in Highland County, Portman had 2,481 votes to Strickland’s 770.

Special-interest groups spent nearly $50 million on the Portman-Strickland race.

After 12 years representing Southwest Ohio in Congress, Portman served in two Cabinet level positions in the Bush administration – including one where he proposed a balanced budget – came home for three years, then was elected to the Senate in 2010.

Portman has had nearly 50 of his bills signed into law, including legislation to help combat drug abuse, to help stop human trafficking, to stop waste and fraud in government spending, and to reform federal worker retraining programs.

Senator Portman's election night remarks

Thank you, Jane!

Thank you, Ohio. We did it! And a special thanks to each and every one of you here.
Together, we’ve waged a great campaign. We came from behind and finished strong. And I couldn’t have asked for better allies and friends to see it through to victory tonight.
We ran hard and ran clean and even if we hadn’t won tonight – that alone would make it a race to be proud of. But we did win – with a little margin to spare.

I’m so grateful to the people of Ohio for giving me the privilege of representing you for six more years.

Governor Ted Strickland will also walk away from this contest knowing he gave it his best. He was gracious when we spoke tonight – I appreciate that, and I wish Ted and Frances well.

Of course, the nation is still waiting on other results. Sometime before sunrise we’ll know the name of our 45th president. And we’ll know which Party controls the U.S. Senate.
Whatever the outcome, some of us will celebrate and some of us will be deeply disappointed, in roughly equal measure around the country.

But the election will be over.

All that continues after the dust settles tomorrow morning is the cause of America. The rest of this political season we can let go, and we probably won’t miss it. It will be time to turn to the serious business ahead for our country – and we’ve got lots to do.
As for me, I don’t need to know who will be in the White House to tell you how I’m going to handle my responsibilities. And regardless of which Party controls the Senate, I’m going to treat my Senate colleagues – new or old, Democrat or Republican – on the assumption that they care about our country as much as I do.

I’m a proud 6th generation Ohioan, and I learned those Ohio values of respect for others, service and hard work from my parents and my grandparents, who some of you knew. When I’ve got a tough decision to make, I think about their example and what they would do.

Honoring your word … serving the nation first … caring for people and confronting serious problems in serious, principled ways – all of that is the true measure of public service. We need a lot more of it, so both parties can work together for the good of this country, and to help restore trust in the basic institutions of our great Republic.

How do we help restore trust? I’ve tried to set a decent example by focusing on finding common ground to solve problems and not starting pointless partisan fights or making unnecessary enemies. By the way, I don’t feel like I missed out on anything, and it leaves more time to get stuff done.

You’ve heard me talk about that on the campaign trail – I ran as an independent voice for Ohio, a commonsense conservative focused on results. 45 bills signed into law! I think working together, building trust, and delivering results is the right thing to do.

By the way, for those wondering if it makes sense in today’s hyper-partisan environment, as we’ve shown tonight, it can be good politics, too.

Here’s how I look at it. This election has been intense and vigorously fought. People knew the stakes were high, in their own lives and for all of America. Working families are tired of struggling every day with slow job growth, stagnant wages, and skyrocketing health care costs – the very definition of the middle-class squeeze. People see that companies and jobs are encouraged by our own government’s policies to slip out of our country, and security threats are allowed to slip in.

People see that the federal government has grown beyond its competence and even further beyond the consent of the governed – and doing it all on borrowed money. People see heroin eroding their families and communities and worry about the next terrorist strike. People want us to do something about all this.

And I will. I will do everything in my power to expand opportunity for every family. That’s why we have to fix a broken tax system, improve skills training, stop the over-regulation, replace Obamacare, and rein in the skyrocketing national debt.
And, as you know, I have a passion to help save and restore lives by turning the tide on the heroin epidemic that has gripped Ohio, to combat human trafficking and to help those leaving prison achieve their God-given potential in life.

And I will work with others to confront our growing national security threats, not by leading from behind but by giving our troops the support they need and restoring American leadership in a more dangerous and volatile world.

In different ways, and clearly in both parties, so many people feel that things have gone wrong for our great country. And whatever else might divide them, we can be absolutely certain of this: With a new president and a new Congress, Americans don’t want to just rewind the tape and live through four more years of the same tired and self-defeating routine. They expect better … we are capable of better … and with a fresh start – there will never be a better moment than now to stop the dysfunction in Washington and find that common ground.

I am committed to help lead that effort. To reach out to all Americans to address the concerns and frustrations they feel, and find commonsense solutions that will make a real difference in their lives. I am a proud Republican and I want to see my Party lead in that effort, too.

I was successful in this campaign on the strength of others and the strength of my faith. I’ve never talked about this before, but to stay strong – every night before going to bed – from the times last year when we were 10 points behind, to last night – I have thought about one accomplishment from that day – held up one person I am grateful for, and said a prayer. Those of you on this stage and in this room have been at the center of my thoughts – and prayers.

I have celebrated your accomplishments as part of our Team – whether it’s passing legislation to create more Ohio jobs through streamlining constructions permits, or our campaign passing 5 million voter contacts.

I have expressed daily gratitude for amazing volunteers young and old who don’t have to be there, and I have prayed for those I have met along the campaign: the young woman suffering from trauma as a victim of sex trafficking who I met here in Columbus at the March for Freedom, the dad I met at a Cleveland roundtable feeling the indescribable pain of losing your child to the grip of addiction, and the soldier at our veterans roundtable whose physical injuries and PTSD had extinguished his hopes. Going through this process has sustained me – you have sustained me.

And, of course, no one has given me more strength than our top campaign surrogate and my partner in everything important in life, Jane Portman. Sweetie, I wouldn’t be standing here without you – and I love you.

Since I was first elected to the Senate six years ago, our children have flown the coop. I love it when they come back to join me on the campaign, because it’s a chance to show off the three people I’m most proud of in the world – Jed, Will and Sally.

When you run statewide, you’re asking for a lot of help. I’m absolutely certain there’s not a Senate candidate anywhere tonight who had a better team. I am grateful to all our coalition leaders – many of whom are here tonight. In the past few weeks alone, we’ve been spoken at a dozen college campuses, met with our veterans, our Hispanic coalition and Sportsmen; we’ve been to union halls and attended inspiring services at African-American churches. We reached out to every Ohioan and the results are in!

I can’t say enough about the hard-working official office that has been at my side for the past six years delivering results in Washington and Ohio – led by Mark Isakowitz and Teri Geiger…and Rob Lehman before Mark.

And tonight, we all thank the amazing Portman for Senate team.

To Corry Bliss, our outstanding campaign manager, and all of Team Portman, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for your hard work, loyalty and friendship.

One big reason for our success tonight is an army of dedicated volunteers, young and old, from all across our state. Students were organized on 35 college campuses and dozens of high schools and they sat side by side with everyday citizens who wanted to help make a difference. Thousands of volunteers made millions of voter contacts – by phone or in-person going door to door. I’m told that as of today, we’ve contacted over 5 million – exceeding all of our goals! Raise your hand if you were part of the best grassroots campaign in American so we can thank you!

You’ve given your all, all of you, and now it’s up to me to continue to give mine. I will continue to try to represent the best of Ohio in every way I know, and as your United States Senator, to make you and our state, proud. Thank you and God bless you.