Ohio Sen. Rob Portman spent the weekend in Iowa, helping Senate candidate Joni Ernst and also eyeing a possible 2016 presidential run.
The potential GOP candidate visited the first-in-the-nation presidential voting state, packing his schedule with speeches, meetings and stumping for candidates, according to the Des Moines Register.
On Thursday, Portman, who is the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s national finance chairman, joined Ernst at a pep rally before handing her nearly $43,000 in campaign donations.
“The majority in our United States Senate could well be determined here in Iowa,” he told the Register on Friday, referring to Ernst.
After the midterm elections, Portman said he would then turn his focus to 2016.
“But after the election, I’ll take a look at it. I am worried about the direction of our country. And that’s my passion. But I’m going to wait until after the election,” he said.
Portman also joined House candidate David Young, joined on the Republicans’ nightly victory telephone conference call, stopped by an insurance company and addressed Republican activists and donors at a lunch organized by Matt Strawn, a former Iowa GOP candidate — making connections all over the state.
He also met with Iowa Gov. Terry Brandstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds.
His communications director, Caitlin Conant, will remain in Iowa after this weekend; she will be there until the Nov. 4 election to help Ernst, who, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, is ahead of Democratic challenger Bruce Braley by 2.6 percentage points.
