The open-seat contest between Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, and Republican Rob Portman, who served seven terms in Congress before resigning to become the U.S. Trade Representative and then Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Bush Administration, is another Senate race that says more about the current political environment than it does about either candidate or the campaigns they’ve waged to date.
Democrats have had a good run in Ohio in recent years. In 2006, Democrats picked up a Senate seat and a congressional district, as well as the open governorship. They also made gains in the state House. In 2008, President Obama carried the state with 53 percent, while Democrats picked up three more congressional seats and won the majority in the state House. As the 2010 election approaches, though, Democrats find themselves facing very different circumstances. President Obama’s job ratings are 45-percent approve to 53-percent disapprove, according to the Pollster.com trend line. Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland is locked in a tough race for re-election, and we list five Democratic-held
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