Rob Portman = next OH Senator

Sounds like Portman is running on a platform of fiscal conservatism. From my mail box:

Our country faces serious economic challenges. Ohio families are hurting. I am concerned that Washington seems to only be making matters worse. In the last three weeks, we have seen the Democrats in Congress pass and President Obama sign a $787 billion dollar stimulus package that focused too much on the Democratic wish list in spending programs and too little on stimulating the economy or creating jobs now.

We have seen the Obama Administration submit a budget proposal that requests record increases in government programs and an unprecedented $3.55 trillion dollar budget for the upcoming year that doubles our nation's debt in just eight years. We have seen billions of taxpayer dollars in additional rescue packages with no improvement in our economy.

And to top it all off, the Senate is currently working on a $410 billion omnibus spending package [subsequently passed 10 March 2009 with the help of 8 Republicans ] for the rest of this year that includes over 9,000 earmarks and increases domestic spending by 8% at a time when all of us are tightening our belts.

We cannot continue to mortgage our children's future with this mountain of debt. I want to go to Washington to offer more responsible alternatives to this runaway spending and to represent the good sense and solid Midwestern values of Ohioans. I want to use the experiences and skills I have gained representing Southern Ohio in Congress and in two Cabinet positions to help our state and our country in a time of crisis.

Without question, the competitive Senate race we must run in the coming months will rival any in the nation in both intensity and cost. The Democrats - in their desperation to control 60 Senate seats that will give them unrestrained power - are ready to spend whatever it takes to win. And only a well-funded campaign operation on our end will stop them.

Families all across our state are understandably worried about their jobs, their health care coverage, and their ability to stay in their homes. I believe we can put our country back on the road to opportunity and growth, but not by unleashing unprecedented growth in the federal government that will drive us further into debt and burden generations to come. Instead, we need targeted tax cuts now to help small businesses retain and create jobs and to help working families make ends meet. We need assistance to those most in need and timely, targeted, and temporary federal expenditures that we can be certain will create jobs now.