MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a powerful Senate Republican who once considered a run for his party's presidential nomination, endorsed John Kasich, the Republican governor of his home state, for president on Saturday.
"I have decided to endorse Governor John Kasich for President because he is a leader who has a proven record of delivering results," Portman wrote in a Facebook post. "John turned Ohio around at a tough time and I believe he can do the same for our country."
Kasich, who has positioned himself as a moderate in a field that includes government-shutdown guru Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and deranged billionaire Donald Trump, trails both men in national polls, as well as polls of the crucial early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Kasich sits between 1 and 2 percent in national and Iowa polls, far behind Trump and Cruz, but he's in the mix in New Hampshire, with 8.4 percent, according to HuffPost Pollster polling averages. Trump leads the New Hampshire field with 37.4 percent, followed by Cruz at 17.5 percent.
Portman is expected to face a tough re-election race in Ohio this year and had previously vowed not to endorse anyone in the presidential race. Kasich “will be a great candidate," he said in July. "He’s got a terrific story to tell about Ohio.” But Portman said then that he was “focused on being a good senator for Ohio and my own race and [didn't] plan on endorsing anyone.”
Since December 2014, when he said he would not run for president in 2016, Portman has been repeatedly mentioned as a potential 2016 vice presidential candidate. Portman is one "of the party’s most promising vice presidential candidates," The Hill's Alexander Bolton wrote Thursday:
Republicans believe Portman, who was also seen as a possible VP in 2012, would add gravitas to the White House ticket and help deliver to the GOP column Ohio, which decided the 2004 presidential election...
“Portman could be important,” said Ford O’Connell, a GOP strategist who worked on Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign. “Portman makes geographical sense.”
“Portman’s strength is not only has he been effective in Congress, he’s been effective in the administration. He would come into the [vice president’s] role as a senior statesman,” said Patrick Davis, a former political director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
“I would put Rob Portman on that list. He’s a good one.”
There's one potential hurdle for a Portman VP candidacy: As Bolton writes, Kasich -- "if he bows out" -- is also a potential VP candidate. As with all political relationships, it's complicated.
This article has been updated to include the language and other details of Portman's endorsement.