A mine worker called Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland a “turncoat” in a new ad for Sen. Rob Portman that focuses on Strickland’s work for an anti-coal group in Washington, D.C.
The ad, titled “Coal Miner,” ties Strickland to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said during her primary campaign that a Clinton administration would “put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” It also goes after him for becoming the head of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, whose anti-coal stance put him at odds with many in that industry.
“Ted Strickland has turned his back on us,” said P.J. DeLuca, a mine worker from Strasburg, Ohio. “Like a turncoat, he sided with Barack and Hillary when he went to Washington.”
“Ted Strickland siding with Hillary Clinton — it’s a slap to the face. They want to put us good working, hard-working coal miners out of jobs,” said Jerry Murphy, Jr. a worker from New Athens, Ohio. “Ted Strickland definitely sold out.”
Strickland’s job at the Center for American Progress helped Portman win the support of the United Mine Workers’ political group, which is giving Strickland problems in his home base in Southeast Ohio. Strickland had previously won the group’s support during his 2006 and 2010 gubernatorial bids.
This is the first television ad Portman has released on coal. It is also part of the campaign’s $15 million ad buy they announced early in the summer, and is set to run in Southeast Ohio through Election Day.
Portman currently holds a solid lead over the former governor, topping him by a 7.5-point margin (44.4-36.9 percent), according to the latest RealClearPolitics average.
