January 29, 2021 update:
In the four days since Sen. Rob Portman's surprise retirement announcement, the pool of possible Republicans has already shrunk. Most notable, Rep. Jim Jordan said Thursday he wouldn't seek the vacant seat, in which he would have been an immediate frontrunner and likely garnered support from former President Trump in the primary. Now, the primary may be more of a free for all. The most formidable undecided GOP candidate still out there may be former state Treasurer and 2012 Senate nominee Josh Mandel, who still has a sizable war chest from an aborted 2018 campaign. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted also said he wouldn't run, making clear he intends to run for governor in 2026. Rep. Troy Balderson and former Rep. Pat Tiberi have also said they're out.
But it's on the Democratic side where a new major name has emerged. Former Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Amy Acton is reportedly seriously considering a bid, with BuzzFeed News's Henry J. Gomez (a plugged-in former Cleveland Plain Dealer political reporter) writing that she may soon
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.