COLUMBUS (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and Democratic challenger Ted Strickland have sparred over their parties’ presidential nominees in their second debate and traded jabs that they’re each bending the truth to get an edge with voters.
Portman and Strickland often spoke directly into the camera Monday night at a Columbus television station. They tried to appeal to the battleground state’s divided electorate with personal stories of pulling themselves up through hard work and education.
Portman says he wants to continue to be an “independent voice” in Washington, citing his bipartisan efforts to fight the heroin crisis, human trafficking and worker dislocation.
Strickland, a former Ohio governor, says he wants to spend the rest of his life fighting for the working people of Ohio.