Impeachment Wild Card: Ohio Sen. Portman Not Running For Reelection

Ohio Senator Robert Portman has announced he will not run for reelection, citing “partisan gridlock.” The decision adds yet more doubt to an uncertain impeachment trial in the Senate, with Portman pledging to act as an impartial juror this time around.

Portman’s relationship with Donald Trump has been fraught: he endorsed Trump in 2016 but withdrew his approval after the publication of the Access Hollywood tapes.

Portman largely stood by Trump’s side after the presidency was won, opposing Trump’s 2019 impeachment and ignoring the former president’s frequent inflammatory remarks. Portman announced before the trial that he did not think there was sufficient evidence against Trump to convict.

This time around, Portman’s tune is different. He told The Cincinnati Enquirer he’s not making judgments on the Capitol riots beforehand.

“I don’t excuse anything President Trump did on Jan. 6 or in the runup to it,” Portman said.

He remarked about his responsibility as a juror as well, in sharp contrast to Republicans’ numerous assertions in 2019 that they bore no duty to act as anything but political agents.

“I’m a juror,” Portman said. “As a juror, I’m going to listen to both sides. That’s my job.”

Ohio, which Republicans took by 8% in the 2020 presidential election, isn't in danger of falling into Democratic hands. Republicans control every major Ohio public office except for the second Senate seat, held by Sherrod Brown. Portman has never lost an election, winning by double-digital margins each time.

What Republican will take the seat is less certain. It’s an open field and Portman has said he’s not naming a successor this early. Further complicating things is the term limit of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, opening his seat as well for Republican hopefuls in 2022.

“There’s plenty of candidates out there,” Portman told The Cincinnati Enquirer. “I don’t have one in particular that I’m prepared to talk about today.”