Ohio's Rob Portman Weathering Backlash from Gay Marriage Foes
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, the first sitting Republican senator to publicly support gay marriage, is beginning to feel the backlash from social conservatives as he prepares for his re-election campaign or a possible White House bid in 2016.
But the uproar being made by some has yet to materialize into a real political problem for the first-term senator.
Just days after the midterms, the National Organization for Marriage pledged to make sure that GOP primary voters are aware of his desire to redefine marriage, and urged conservatives not to vote for Portman in the general election. The statement echoed the feelings of many of Ohios so-called values voters, or those who place issues like traditional marriage and anti-abortion rights above all else. They felt betrayed by Portman when he changed his thinking on gay marriage after learning his son is gay.
"I will not cross that moral line to vote for him"
While conservative activists have made headlines for renouncing their support for him, the threats are unlikely to carry much weight unless the states anti-Portman faction of the GOP can coalesce around a single candidate to battle him in the Senate primary. More than a dozen conservative leaders in Ohio are currently working on finding that person, but it has not been easy.
Its very hard to find a high-profile Republican who will run against him because they dont want to give up their own seat, or the Golden Rule is that you just dont run against another Republican, said Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values in Ohio and one of Portmans most outspoken critics since his gay marriage switch.
But there will be people running against him, Burress said. He predicts that a number of conservatives will challenge Portman if he runs again for Senate.
For their part, Portman aides say they dont expect a credible primary challenger to emerge, but will be ready if one does. The senator remains personally popular, is well-liked by Ohios establishment GOP and has a robust network of donors from his years in politics. Aides also feel issues like the economy will be much more import to Ohio voters than gay marriage, which has become increasingly acceptable to the American public and is now legal in 32 states and the District of Columbia.
Recent fears of far-right candidates mounting successful primary challenges to incumbent GOP senators proved unfounded in the 2014 elections. Mississippis Chris McDaniel came close, but ended up losing his race against Sen. Thad Cochran in a runoff.
We take nothing for granted, we never do, said Matt Borges, chair of the Ohio Republican party. I suspect we have a very good chance that, when its all said and done, the results look very similar to how they did on Election Day in 2014, when all the shouting is over.
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Ohio's Rob Portman Weathering Backlash from Gay Marriage Foes