Democratic Party committees canceled more than a week of TV ads in Ohio, where incumbent Republican Sen. Rob Portman is defending his seat against former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reserved Ohio TV time starting Sept. 13, but has now delayed that campaign until Sept. 22. The Senate Majority PAC also dropped its plans to advertise during that time period, according to The Washington Post.
The Democratic campaign committee has not withdrawn support from Strickland. The committee is funding a campaign ad that ties Portman to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's statements about women.
Strickland spokesman David Bergstein said the change was just tactical, and the money was "being used to fund our existing ad instead of through an independent expenditure."
Portman has attacked Strickland's record as governor, saying in an online ad campaign that Ohio lost more than 350,000 jobs during his tenure as governor.
Strickland responded with an ad that explained the state's financial issues during the recession. The Post said Democrats privately were unhappy that Strickland repeated Portman's claim in his own ad.
A RealClearPolitics summary of polls about their race showed that Strickland has not led in any poll between the two since May 8.
The party tie to Trump does not appear to be affecting Portman. The incumbent senator is faring better in opinion polls than Trump, according to RealClearPolitics editor Tom Bevan.
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