But this would not be the first time an “open” Senate seat from Ohio created turmoil within the state’s two leading political parties. Portman’s decision will be the fifth time since 1970 that an incumbent U.S. senator from Ohio chose not to seek re-election. Here’s what happened during those previous elections.
1970: Glenn vs. Metzenbaum: The beginning of a legendary feud
U.S. Senator Stephen Young was 81 years old in 1970, and his decision not to seek re-election was hardly a surprise. While Young was an unabashed liberal, he had earned the ire of the Kennedy family for his outspokenness and love of controversy, and U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy encouraged astronaut John Glenn to challenge Young in the 1964 Democratic primary.