Ted Strickland announces he's running for Senate 'to restore the American Dream'

YOUNGSTOWN — Ex-Gov. Ted Strickland announced today that he would be a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016 “because I am determined to restore the American Dream for working people in this country.”

Strickland said in a prepared statement that knows personally “how difficult it is to move up in this world, and the deck is increasingly stacked against working people.”

As a nation, he said, “We are producing, building, creating and discovering more than ever before, and yet, for the middle-class, getting ahead has never been harder. I believe that if you’re willing to work hard every day and play by the rules, you shouldn’t go to bed worrying about tomorrow.”

To “save the American Dream,” Strickland said, “we need to go back to the basics. We need to create living-wage jobs and invest in the kind of infrastructure projects that benefit our communities. We need to make college more accessible and affordable so that our young people can get an education, get a job, and start saving to buy a home, support their families and retire with a sense of dignity and security. We need to make smart choices on fair trade that reward the worker instead of the wealthy.”

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, and would make a public announcement in late February.

The newspaper was also first to report on Feb. 17 that Strickland had actively started soliciting campaign contributions.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, the Republican incumbent, will seek his second six-year term next year.

Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld announced last month he was running for the Democratic nomination for the Senate post in 2016.

Since the Jan. 30 report, state and national Republicans have consistently criticized Strickland for his 11 months as president of the left-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund. A source told the newspaper on Jan. 30 that Strickland would resign from the group to concentrate on the Senate bid. He resigned Friday from that job.

Strickland served 12 years in the U.S. House and won the 2006 gubernatorial race. He lost his re-election to Republican John Kasich in 2010 by 2 percentage points.