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OVERHEARD: Sen. John McCain (R) adding some fuel to the fire of constant veepstakes buzz surrounding one of his colleagues. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) was giving a group of interns a tour of the Capitol on Thursday when McCain breezed by. The senior senator from Arizona quipped to Portman’s young crew, “Now you can say you interned for Vice President Portman.” Portman is said to be on Mitt Romney’s shortlist of potential running mates.

Sitting atop every insider’s shortlist is one name: Senator Rob Portman. Of course, this is hardly news. For the past year, Portman has been mentioned as a leading vice-presidential contender. But the Ohio Republican’s smooth, steady run as a veep favorite isn’t happenstance, or merely a by-product of his swing-state roots. Portman has earned the interest. Ever since Portman endorsed Mitt Romney in January, ahead of Ohio’s March primary, the freshman senator has been a quiet but key Romney surrogate. On the trail, he’s a frequent presence at Romney’s side, and he’s traveled to North Carolina and Pennsylvania to stump....

More than 30 Republican senators — including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — will host a fundraiser in Washington on Monday for Josh Mandel, Ohio's state treasurer and the Republican nominee challenging Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Ohio's other senator, Republican Rob Portman, will headline the reception, which is being held at the headquarters at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. NRSC Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) is also expected to attend, as are Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Mike Lee (Utah). Tickets to attend start at $500 and go up to...

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Mitt Romney ‘repudiate’ a Super PAC message that hadn’t even been produced yet. It was a jolt of deja vu, harkening back to the bleak political tapestry created by the entrenched Republican beltway establishment. We’ve seen this entire story played out time after time, where the supposed champions of constitutional governance have been rolled over by the DeMarxists, simply because the agents of freedom have utterly failed to stand for the very principles they espouse. John McCain’s candidacy was a joke to anyone who followed politics closely. What I saw in John...

As Mitt Romney mulls who to pick as vice president, members of Congress in both parties agree that among their colleagues there is no better pick than Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. More than half of Democrats and exactly half of Republicans surveyed in National Journal's Congressional Insiders Poll said that Portman, a first term Republican, would make the best pick, among current members of Congress. Which type of politician would make the best choice for Mitt Romney to tap as vice president?   Democrats (19 votes) Republicans (23 votes) Member of Congress 37% 26% Governor 16% 39% Former officeholder...

There is no doubt in the minds of Republican National Committee members that Mitt Romney will be their standard bearer in the fall, and already consensus is building behind one potential vice presidential nominee — Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. In an informal survey of more than half of the Republican State Chairmen and national committee people at this weekend’s State Chairman meeting at a resort here, two-thirds said they believe Portman is the most-likely and best-qualified running-mate for Mitt Romney. The committee members spoke to BuzzFeed only on the condition of anonymity. “He’s from Ohio, and we need to win...

Political Insiders in both parties have noticeably cooled on the vice presidential prospects of Marco Rubio. Democratic and Republican strategists alike said Republican senator from Florida was the strongest GOP option for vice president in this week's National Journal Insiders Poll, but he carried only slim pluralities among both groups. That's a significant drop-off from the same survey taken in October, when 60 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats and considered him the party's best possible running mate. Now, just 34 percent of GOP insiders and 28 percent of Democrats say Rubio is the party's best hope...

Talk of a Mitt Romney-Rob Portman GOP presidential ticket, a leading pick among Republican insiders, picked up a flashy endorsement Wednesday from long-time political pundit and MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews. “Portman’s probably the best bet,” Matthews told the American Bankers Association convention of the Ohio senator. The former Carter speechwriter and top aide to legendary House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, suggested that the second best pick for Romney would be Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. “I think he’s looking at Virginia and Ohio” as states Romney must carry to beat President Obama, added Matthews. It's an assessment GOP officials...

Link only per FR copyright rules: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/16/portman-will-endorse-romney-probably-pretty-soon/

With not one Republican primary vote cast yet, we're getting way ahead of ourselves by speculating about whom Mitt Romney might pick as his vice-presidential running mate. But Willie Geist did invite Politico's Mike Allen to make his "bold predictions" for 2012. And Allen delivered, prognosticating that Romney would pick Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman as his ticket-mate. Mark Halperin strongly seconded Allen's assertion. View the video here.

LOUISVILLE, KY – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday announced his appointments to the 12-member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction tasked with reducing the deficit by $1.5 trillion more than the cuts already identified in the Budget Control Act. McConnell appointed Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio). “Chronic joblessness, out-of-control deficits and debt, and an unprecedented credit downgrade represent an historic challenge but also an historic opportunity for lawmakers in Washington to show they can work together on a plan that puts America back on the path to prosperity. All three of these...

As Republican leaders assess a Tea Party movement that has both energized and polarized their ranks, John McCain takes a generally benign view of the political landscape -- but clearly comes down on the side of the traditional establishment rather than with the young rebels. (snip) ...he said, "I hope I'll have the opportunity to spend some time helping and mentoring the next generation of Republicans who are ready to move in here."(snip) It was only when McCain began describing his plans for the coming campaign and his hopes for the Senate that it became clear where his influence will...

Here is video of a new Rob Portman ad in Ohio that slams the “Cap and Trade” legislation being pushed in Washington right now by Obama and the Democrats. Portman says the legislation would amount to an “energy tax,” and that it would be a “job-killer.” Portman said the legislation could tax us for “turning on a light, using our computer, or even cooking dinner.” Republicans need to keep making a huge issue of what “Cap and Trade” would do to America. Stopping this from ever becoming law is enough reason to vote for Republicans this Fall.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee succeeded in winning attention for its candidate Rob Portman today by busting through the clutter of Internet ads that rarely deserve notice. It did so by blaming Portman's Democratic opponent, Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, for the state's job losses and high unemployment rate. Like Portman, the ad mocks Fisher, who headed the state's development department before entering the U.S. Senate race, as Ohio's "job czar." But that message is totally secondary to the visuals. The ad manipulates an image of a sleepy and shirtless Fisher – seated in his home office with one arm...

Cleveland automobile dealer Tom Ganley (R) is airing a statewide television ad to introduce himself to the primary voters who will decide whether he or former Rep. Rob Portman should be the party’s nominee in a key open-seat Senate race next year. The 60-second ad touts Ganley’s business background and takes an anti-Washington tone, with a narrator saying that Ganley’s 47-year career of creating jobs and balancing budgets amounts to “hard work the Washington politicians don’t understand.” Ganley speaks only at the end of the ad, in a required disclaimer approving the commercial. “To help create jobs for Ohio, Tom...

Former Republican congressman Rob Portman will announce that he is running for the Senate soon after Ohio Sen. George Voinovich’s retirement announcement, according to multiple Republican sources. Portman's official announcement is expected to take place on Wednesday. Portman would give Senate Republicans an accomplished candidate who is likely to clear the primary field. “He’s great on both policy and politics, and you don’t often find that combination,” said Hamilton County Republican party chairman Alex Triantafilou. “His experience in government, his experience in Washington and his understanding of Ohio would make him a tremendous force in the Senate.” Portman would likely...

(CNN) — John McCain will hold a large rally in Ohio and possibly two other battleground states August 29 — the day after Barack Obama formally accepts the Democratic presidential nomination and the same day the Arizona senator is expected to name his running mate, Republican and McCain campaign sources tell CNN's John King. The McCain campaign is hoping to have 15,000 people at the Ohio rally — roughly 5 times the size of McCain's largest crowd to-date. Two other rallies are also in the works for that day, likely in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Campaign sources say the events are...

Predicting a close election in November, former Bush Administration official and Ohio congressman Rob Portman called on Hoosiers to back Republican presidential candidate John McCain at rally Tuesday evening in Fishers. “He’s an authentic American hero and a common sense conservative,” Portman told the partisan crowd. Portman is on McCain’s short list of potential vice presidential running mates. A six-term congressman, he also served as the United States Trade Representative and most recently as President Bush’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a post previously held by Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Ohio shows John McCain leading Barack Obama 47% to 40%. He also leads Hillary Clinton 47% to 42%. Last month, McCain led both Democrats by six percentage points. Former Ohio Congressman Rob Portman has been mentioned as a possible Vice Presidential candidate for John McCain. Eleven percent (11%) of the state’s voters say they’d be more likely to support the ticket with Portman on it while 19% hold the opposite view. Republicans are evenly divided. Among unaffiliated voters, 6% would be more likely to vote for McCain with Portman on the ticket and...

McCain Veepstakes: Portman Potential by John Gizzi Just before my interview with possible McCain running mate Rob Portman, former Office of Management and Budget and onetime Ohio congressman, I was at lunch with another Buckeye State Republican -- Rep. John Boehner. Boehner described his profile for an ideal running mate for John McCain. “Has to be younger than McCain,” Boehner said, amid chuckles, “a solid conservative, and someone people could see as President.” Taking it a step further, the top House Republican said that since the two major party nominees will both be U.S. Senators, it was less likely McCain...