The Surprising Retirement of Sen. Rob Portman
Robert (Rob) Jones Portman Trump, allies raise pressure on Senate GOP ahead of impeachment Portman planned exit leaves for Ohio free to all Tim Ryan says he looks ‘serious’ at running to Portman’s Senate seat MORE (R-Ohio), a high-profile moderate close to the Bush family and the Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell
MORE (Ky.), Is the latest sign of unrest in the Republican Party as it grapples with its identity in the post-Trump era.
On the day Democrats ran an impeachment bill to the Senate and Republicans grappled with questions about former President Trump
Donald TrumpSchumer: Trial against impeachment will be swift, not many witnesses needed Nurse to be tapped by Biden as acting surgeon general: Schumer report calls on Biden to declare climate emergency MOREprocess and the future of their party, Portman acknowledged that he was out of step with the current political climate.
“Our country is currently polarized. They are kind of shirts and skins, aren’t they? That makes it harder to find that common ground, because elected officials are not rewarded for it, ” he said at a press conference announcing he would leave the Senate at the end of 2022.
“What they are rewarded for is throwing away red meat on a talk show. That’s not conducive to solving the serious problems we face as a country, ”said Portman, a Bush White House veteran whose pro-trade, pro-business brand of republicanism has sometimes run counter to Trump’s ‘America First’ -nationalism.
Portman generally downplayed the influence of politics today when discussing his retirement, but his decision was interpreted across Washington as another sign of a rapidly evolving GOP grappling with whether he wants to be a party to Trump. or a party more like that that existed before Trump’s rise.
Jeff Sadosky, a former senior aide to Portman, said his former boss seems to be less comfortable in a Republican party increasingly shaped by the extreme rhetoric and bruising style of the Trump era.
“I think it’s a sign that the party is targeting those with the biggest mouths, not those with the best plans,” he said.
The Senate will vote in February on whether or not to condemn Trump based on the house article of impeachment accusing him of inciting a mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6.
A conviction requires 67 votes, meaning at least 17 Republicans must join every Democrat. That’s considered highly unlikely in an environment where someone crossing Trump risks crossing his supporters and taking on a tough primary challenge.
Republican strategists and political observers speculated Monday that Portman may want to avoid the odds of facing a more pro-Trump Republican primary challenger, like Rep. Firebrand. Jim Jordan
James (Jim) Daniel Jordan Planned Portman exit sets Ohio free for all Portman retirement leads to calls for LeBron James Senate bid Biden’s inauguration marked by conflict of hope and fear MORE (Ohio).
“It sounded to me like he is concerned about the countercurrents heading into 2022. He knows that Trump still has a strong hold on the Republican Party and that Portman is likely facing a primary challenge and he may not want the annoyance,” said Darrell West, the director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
Portman acknowledged that he felt pressure on both sides as the Senate prepares for Trump’s second impeachment trial, with some voters wondering why he is no longer outspoken in his criticisms of Trump and others wanting to know why he is not doing more to defend the former president . .
‘I get it from both sides. As you know, I have consistently spoken out when I disagreed with Donald Trump and I have consistently spoken out when I agreed with him on the policy, as an example, that I have spoken of in terms of the tax reform, the regulatory lighting, energy policy, ”he said.
“There have been times when I have been very supportive on a policy basis, but content is one thing and tone and style is another,” he added. ‘I think we should tone it down. And I have said that consistently. “
Other Senate Republicans have voiced concerns about the direction of the party under Trump, calling for its identity to be rebuilt based on the principles that defined it during the Reagan-Bush era.
“Where’s the Republican Party? Who really exemplifies the heart of the party? … I think in many ways we are a party that really struggles to identify ourselves,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann MurkowskiModerates promises to be ‘a force’ among Biden Senators spar over validity of Trump impeachment trial Trump impeachment trial begins week of February 8 MORE (R-Alaska) told reporters Friday.
“We have a few who have identified firmly with Trump and who will likely continue to identify for years to come, but there are a lot of other people who have not really been sold on Trump but who absolutely embraced the policy,” she said.
Murkowski said she wants the GOP to return to the “big tent” approach to Reagan years politics.
Sadosky noted that Portman still embraces the concepts of lower taxes, more efficient government, less regulation and free trade that characterize the GOP.
He said Portman’s retirement is a sign “there are too many within the party who are judging everything by the question, ‘How will this affect Trump?’ and not “What are the implications for the US economy and US families?” “
Portman’s move comes after Republican Sen. Pat Toomey
Patrick (Pat) Joseph Toomey Government Used Patriot Act To Collect Logs From Website Visitors In 2019 Appeals Court Rules NSA’s Bulk Collection Of Phone Data Illegal Dunford Withdraws From Consideration To Chair Coronavirus Monitoring Panel MORE (Pa.), Another laser-focused policy expert who likes to work behind the scenes, announced in October that he would retire in late 2022.
Toomey, like Portman, is known for his policy acumen and pragmatism and is a close ally and advisor to McConnell.
Her. Richard Burr
Richard Mauze BurrPortman Planned Exit Sets Ohio Free-For-All Portman Won’t Run For Re-election On The Money: Biden Extends Moratorium On Eviction, Patience With Student Loans | Shares hit record highs on Biden’s first day as president | Justice Dept. closes insider trading case against Burr MORE (RN.C.), another longtime McConnell ally, announced in 2016 that this would be his final term and is also expected to leave Congress at the end of next year.
The three retirements in Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina give Senate Democrats a chance to increase their wafer-thin majority in the midterm elections.
Now that he is not seeking reelection, more eyes will fall on Portman as a possible GOP vote for compromise legislation on coronavirus lighting and other measures.
Portman was one of more than a dozen senators who took part in a phone call with the director of the White House National Economic Council on Sunday Brian Deese
Brian DeeseCollins: Minimum wage hike should be separate from COVID-19 aid package The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Focus on vaccine, virus, travel Moderates pledge to be ‘a force’ under Biden MORE to discuss Biden’s proposed $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package.
“I have two more years in my tenure and I intend to use that time to get a lot done,” Portman, who will become the Senate’s top Republican on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said in a statement.