Portman raises $2.9M in second quarter

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) raised $2.9 million toward his reelection bid in the second quarter of 2015, bringing his total cash on hand to over $10 million, according to figures provided by his campaign.

“Rob continues his momentum, gaining more support from voters across Ohio,” Portman’s campaign manager Corry Bliss said in a statement. “While Rob is working hard and getting results for Ohio families and workers, more and more people are realizing that Ohio can’t afford to return to the days of Governor Strickland when the state lost over 350,000 jobs and Ohio ranked 48th in job creation.”

{mosads}Portman is consistently one of the top fundraisers in the Senate. In the first quarter, the Ohio Republican raised $2.75 million.

He is a top target for Democrats heading into 2016, when he’ll be looking to defend his seat against former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) in what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races of the cycle.

According to a June survey from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, Portman takes 43 percent support over Strickland at 41 percent. The two were tied in the same poll from March.

Democrats pointed to figures in the poll showing Strickland with greater name identification among Ohio voters as evidence that Portman lacks some of the typical advantages of incumbency.

However, Portman is likely to have a big money advantage. Strickland has not released his second quarter fundraising numbers yet, but he pulled in $671,000 in about 30 days of fundraising in the first quarter.

Portman’s rollout has been impressive. His campaign said Monday it had gathered more than 100,000 voter contacts though a volunteer grassroots program, and he has the endorsement of every statewide elected Republican from Gov. John Kasich on down.