Portman says no to presidential race

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Time to enjoy this 3 week old declaration that Portman was the #1 most likely person to be elected president in 2016.

1. Rob Portman
2. Scott Walker
3. Hillary Clinton

If Portman was cleared out by anyone beside himself, it was Bush.

I maintain that Portman would've won had he run.  I stand by that part of my prediction and given that Portman was acting very much like someone gearing up to run, this was hardly a dumb prediction knowing what we knew when I made that post.  "Most likely" is different than "Rob Portman will definitely be elected President in 2016."  Bush will go down in either the primaries or the general if he runs (my money's on the former, but we'll see).

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

When did Kasich run for president?

2000 and if he runs this time, he'll do about as well as he did then

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Yeah, this was probably was his best call. and he should be safe in a General Election, but if someone like Jim Jordan, Steve Stivers or Matt Huffman were to attempt a primary challenge , there could be problems for him.

Jordan could, but won't.  Huffman and Stivers are establishment guys through-and-through.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Yeah, this was probably was his best call. and he should be safe in a General Election, but if someone like Jim Jordan, Steve Stivers or Matt Huffman were to attempt a primary challenge , there could be problems for him.

Jordan could, but won't.  Huffman and Stivers are establishment guys through-and-through.

Jordan would make things very interesting if he did. He'd represent quite well a Tea Party alternative to Portman and a very good one at that. Jim Jordan would be one of the hardest Ohio Republicans possible to stop (in the primary of course). But I agree he won't do it, much for the very same reasons he would be a good choice in the first place. He may be a Tea Party guy but he's also not the combative type within the party.

He used to be, but ever since Boehner threatened to have his district obliterated during redistricting, he's settled down.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Yeah, this was probably was his best call. and he should be safe in a General Election, but if someone like Jim Jordan, Steve Stivers or Matt Huffman were to attempt a primary challenge , there could be problems for him.

Jordan could, but won't.  Huffman and Stivers are establishment guys through-and-through.

Jordan would make things very interesting if he did. He'd represent quite well a Tea Party alternative to Portman and a very good one at that. Jim Jordan would be one of the hardest Ohio Republicans possible to stop (in the primary of course). But I agree he won't do it, much for the very same reasons he would be a good choice in the first place. He may be a Tea Party guy but he's also not the combative type within the party.

He used to be, but ever since Boehner threatened to have his district obliterated during redistricting, he's settled down.

Do you have any info on Boehner threatening him with that? I spoke to someone in the Ohio GOP leadership about redistricting back in 2011 who had told me despite the rumors there was never any chance the GOP would carve up Jordan's district--and that if they did Jordan would probably still win the primary against Latta, Turner, Chabot, Austria, Stivers, or Schmidt anyway.

I heard it from a pretty reliable source.  But you could be right (or it may have been a successful bluff on Boehner's part.  In any event, it's a moot point now.