It's a preview of what the rest of this election season is likely to be. Ohio’s Republican and Democratic leaders held dueling press events to trade jabs over their U.S. Senate candidates' positions on seniors and veterans.
In one corner was the Ohio Democratic Party's Greg Beswick, who pulled out a 5-year-old quote that seems to suggest Portman was leaning towards cutting Medicare.
“When it comes to his alarming statement that it would be irresponsible not to cut Medicare, Sen. Portman has more than lived up to his anti-senior agenda that hurts Ohioans,” Beswick said.
In the other corner was Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, defending Portman and saying Democratic nominee and former Gov. Ted Strickland was an ineffective congressman who failed to support veterans issues.
The exchange underscores that the Senate race is going to be a top priority for both state parties. It's also expected to be one of the half-dozen highest-spending Senate contests in the nation.
