Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, won a rare endorsement from union members Thursday as the United Mine Workers of American backed him for re-election to the Senate.
Portman won the endorsement over former Gov. Ted Strickland, his Democratic opponent, who won the group’s support during his gubernatorial runs in 2006 and 2010, but lost it this time around largely due to his work at the Center for American Progress, which is staunchly anti-coal.
In a letter, the group’s National Council of Coal Miners Political Action Committee (COMPAC) thanked Portman for his efforts to support coal miners past and present, noting that they unanimously endorsed him. The letter did not mention Strickland.
“We very much appreciate the support you have given both active and retired coal miners and their families, especially in such difficult times as the coal industry is experiencing today,” COMPAC President Cecil Roberts and International Secretary-Treasurer Daniel Kane wrote. “Your strong voice in support of our members is an inspiration to us all. We will be actively working among our membership and our communities to inform working and retired Ohioans of our support for you in this year’s election.”
The endorsement is also notable because the group has heavily supported Democrats in recent years. In 2014 alone, the group endorsed only one Republican for statewide office (Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill) while supporting Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Warner, former Sen. Mark Udall, and Alison Lundergan Grimes, who challenged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his seat. Overall, they endorsed in 15 states, while also endorsing Democrats exclusively in Ohio in 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
“Ted Strickland likes to remind people that he’s from southeast Ohio, but he has a record of turning his back on Coal Country,” Portman said in a statement. “Even though coal is a proven source of relatively inexpensive energy that supports thousands of jobs across Ohio, and even though Ohio relies on coal for approximately 70 percent of our electricity, Ted worked on behalf of a liberal special interest group in Washington that is dedicated to ending coal jobs.”
“I am honored to receive the support from the National Council of Coal Miners Political Action Committee and remain committed to doing everything within my power to ensure Ohio’s coal miners and their families are supported,” Portman added.
Supporters of Strickland pushed back against the endorsement, with a trio of current and former office holders touting the former governor’s work in Appalachia. Trimble Mayor Doug Davis, a backer of Strickland, called the move endorsement “deeply misguided.”
