Rob Portman is continuing to weigh a presidential run even as he leans toward running for reelection, he said in an interview on Friday afternoon.
The Ohio Republican senator doesn’t have a precise timeline for his decision, but with his party’s triumph on Tuesday behind him he said he’s finally got some time to think about whether to seek the presidency or commit 100 percent to running for reelection in the swing state of Ohio in 2016.
He’s currently “planning to run for reelection” but declined to rule out a run at the White House.
“I am going to take a look at the opportunity of the presidential race. But you know, right now, I’m excited about these results Tuesday night. I’ll be talking to family, talking to friends and some who’ve been encouraging me and analyze the situation. But I’m not planning at this point to change my approach, which is legislating,” Portman said in a telephone interview.
Several of his colleagues like Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida are also considered top 2016 contenders as is Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who was just reelected. Asked if the 2016 decisions of others would affect his decision-making, Portman said no.
“You decide, in my case, what’s in the interest of the country,” he said. “The question is: ‘What’s the most effective role that I can play?’”
Portman emerged as a deal-making Republican player over the past two years, helping hammer out a bill to extend expired unemployment benefits that passed the Senate, building a bipartisan energy efficiency bill with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) that sputtered over procedural warfare and ultimately voting against the Senate’s immigration reform legislation after trying to receive a separate roll call vote on his amendment.
POLITICO
