Portman has a big financial edge at the moment. I see at least one Portman ad every day and I have yet to see any ads from Fisher.
Rob Portman is indeed a fundraising machine and he’s been running statewide ads (along with the Chamber of Commerce) since late June/early July. With nearly $9 million already at his disposal, he’ll be able to swamp Fisher with ads between now and November. His biggest problem isn’t his ties to Bush, but rather the fact that he is relatively unknown outside his base in Cincinnati/Southwest Ohio. That’s where millions of dollars in TV ads can make a difference in defining himself in places where he isn’t well known.