Strickland fundraising ahead of possible Senate run

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) is raising money ahead of a potential Senate run in the clearest sign yet that he’s gearing up to challenge Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) in 2016.

The Youngstown Vindicator reported on Monday that Strickland’s finance director has begun soliciting and coordinating campaign contributions.

{mosads}The Strickland team is sending out emails asking potential donors to send money to a “Strickland for Senate” address in Columbus, according to the report.

Strickland has also hired Columbus-based political and media consultant Dennis Willard to handle press for his potential campaign.

Strickland has said he’ll announce whether he intends to run for Senate in the next few weeks.

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) announced Friday that he won’t seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Portman in the Senate.

So far, P.G. Sittenfeld, a 30-year-old Cincinnati city councilman and rising star in the party, is the only Democrat to announce he’ll seek the party’s nomination for the 2016 Senate race.

However, Strickland would upend the dynamics of the race. He’s by far the most imposing potential challenger on the Democratic bench, and his candidacy would set up a battle of Ohio political heavyweights between himself and Portman.

Portman has $5.8 million in his campaign bank account and already has the backing of essentially every elected Republican in the state.

However, a poll from the Democratic Public Policy Polling released this week showed Portman may be vulnerable. The survey found he only has a 30 percent approval rating in Ohio, with 35 percent saying they disapprove of his four years in office.