Strickland says opponents 'scared to death' of his Senate candidacy

LORDSTOWN ­

Ex-Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat running in 2016 for the U.S. Senate, said Republicans and incumbent Rob Portman are running negative ads about him and criticizing him because “they are scared to death of my candidacy.”

Strickland made the comment today to The Vindicator after an event at the United Auto Workers Local 1112 union hall.

A recent Quinnipiac Poll shows Strickland ahead of Portman, a Republican seeking his second six-year term next year, 46 percent to 40 percent.

“I’m sure they’re doing polling just as these public polls are being conducted,” Strickland said. “They know if the election was held now I would win so they’re going to do everything they can to try to build Sen. Portman up and tear Ted Strickland down. But I trust the people in this state will not allow the special interests to buy the Senate seat.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce started running a television commercial today critical of Strickland’s record as governor. Portman’s campaign said today it was running online ads to “highlight Strickland’s awful record as governor when Ohio lost over 350,000 jobs and trailed almost every other state at 48th in job creation.”

For the complete story, read Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com