In this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, hosts Mike Thompson and Steve Brown discuss the surprising availability of a U.S. Senate seat in 2022 as Sen. Rob Portman decides to move on. Jessica Wehrman, reporter for Congressional Quarterly Roll Call, joins the show.
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In this week's episode:
Portman's Had Enough
Senator Rob Portman's decision not to seek re-election stunned Washington D.C. and Ohio.
All signs pointed to him running for re-election. He has $4.5 million dollars in his campaign account and he would have been very difficult to beat both in the primary and against a Democrat in the general election. But after two terms in the Senate and 30 years in D.C., Portman says Congress has become too toxic to govern.
Speculation about the future of the seat started immediately with many Republican and Democratic names coming to the forefront. Some GOP names that have been bandied about include Representatives Brad Wenstrup, Steve Stivers, former Congressmen Jim Renacci, Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken, former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and former Congressman Pat Tiberi have said they won't run.
On the Democratic side, potenital candidates include Representatives Tim Ryan and Joyce Beatty, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, former Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, former congressional candidate Danny O’Connor and former Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton.
Last Call
The governor shortened the state’s curfew which means bars and restaurants can stay open one hour later until 11 p.m. That's because the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations is going down. For seven days in a row, Ohio has seen its hospitalizations fall below 3,500. If numbers go below 3,000 for another seven days, the curfew will be extended to midnight. If it is gets below 2,500, no more curfew.
Snollygoster Of The Week: Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley pounced on the opportunity to talk to the New York Times about her future just hours after Rob Portman announced he wouldn’t seek reelection in the Senate.
Send questions and comments to snollygoster@wosu.org.
