Strickland Senate announcement set for Wednesday

YOUNGSTOWN

Former Gov. Ted Strickland will announce Wednesday that he is a candidate for the 2016 U.S. Senate seat, multiple sources close to him confirmed.

Strickland, a Democrat, and his campaign team decided Tuesday to make an official announcement today, the sources said.

Dennis Willard, who serves as Strickland’s spokesman, initially declined Tuesday to comment. But he later emailed that Strickland would make an announcement by email at 9 a.m. today “regarding his potential run for the U.S. Senate in 2016.”

The Vindicator exclusively reported on its website, Vindy.com, on Jan. 30 that Strickland had told close political allies and high-level national donors that he was running for the position.

The newspaper was also first to report on Feb. 17 that Strickland had actively started soliciting campaign contributions. He raised about $125,000 to $150,000 on Feb. 16 and has likely raised more than $500,000 by now.

Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld announced Jan. 22 he would seek the Democratic nomination for Senate next year, The seat is currently held by Republican Rob Portman, who will seek a second six-year term in 2016 after initially considering a potential bid for the presidency.

Since the Jan. 30 Vindy.com report, state and national Republicans have criticized Strickland almost daily.

Read more about the seats in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.