Wall Street Journal - Democrats Redeploy Ohio Money to New Senate Battlegrounds

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By Michelle Hackman

Groups backing Senate Democrats have yanked $20 million in planned ad spending away from the race in Ohio, signaling Democrats have lost confidence in former Gov. Ted Strickland's ability to defeat Sen. Rob Portman...

The shift away from Ohio began over the summer, when poll after poll showed Mr. Portman, a first-term senator, consistently leading Mr. Strickland. The latest Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Mr. Strickland trailing by 14.5 points.

Democrats initially considered Mr. Strickland, a popular former governor, one of their strongest recruits of the season. Senate Majority PAC, the primary Super PAC supporting Democrats running for the U.S. Senate, spent an initial $10 million from March through Aug. 8.

But Mr. Portman has been credited with running one of the best-organized ground operations in the country, reaching far more Republican voters in Ohio than the party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

Sensing Mr. Strickland's weakness, the DSCC and Senate Majority PAC, the main outside group backing Senate Democrats, began canceling a combined $20 million in advertising that was scheduled to begin in mid-September. Corresponding Republican groups have diverted a total of $14 million from the state, as of last Friday.

Eliminating Ohio from Democrats' map of opportunities complicates their bid to retake control of the Senate. Democrats must win back a net of five seats to regain a majority; Republicans currently hold nine seats in states that President Barack Obama won at least once.

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