Portman stays focused on Ohio

Rob Portman is sitting in a downtown D.C. law firm’s glass-enclosed conference room, in the power position: legs crossed, leaning back in his chair, wearing an expensive suit.

He sports a small, round, green button on his lapel that says in white numbers, “2016.”

Could it be? The former congressman, then White House trade representative and budget director, now possible Republican vice presidential nominee is plotting a long-term strategy for his own national bid? It would allow him to run for governor of Ohio in 2010, serve six years and run in the middle of his second term.

The button, however, is a big tease. It’s for the National Park Service’s centennial celebration.

Mr. Portman, 52, is a big conservationist and friend of national parks, he says, and had been meeting earlier with a National Park Service official.

Nonetheless, Mr. Portman says in an interview, he does not want to be picked as Sen. John McCain’s running mate in the presidential race, but he does want to run for governor of Ohio in 2010. Still, Mr. Portman’s name is still being mentioned as one of the top possibilities to round out the McCain ticket.

Advocates say he would deliver his home state, a key election battleground, and would be a camera-friendly, youthful and solidly conservative with polished credentials in both domestic and foreign policy.

But the Michigan Law School graduate diplomatically indicates that he has told the McCain campaign he’s got no mojo for the task.

“I have indicated that I’m happy, and I really am. It’s good to be home. My family is not eager for me to jump back into something like that right now, nor am I,” he said.

Politician that he is, however, Mr. Portman leaves the door open: “It’d be a great honor if asked, and I’d have to cross that bridge if it came.”

Since he left the White House Office of Management and Budget one year ago, Mr. Portman has been back in Washington only about once a month, for two days at a time.

Mr. Portman now works out of the Cincinnati office of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP, a global law firm based in the U.S. His former chief of staff at OMB, Rob Lehman, is a principal in SSD’s Washington office. The setup allows Mr. Portman to work from his home state but remain involved in both D.C. politics and international trade issues.

“I’m really happy to be … out of the Washington scene for a while,” he says, leaning back inside the SSD conference room.

“I got discouraged at OMB because partisanship seemed to reign over results.”

He pauses, and clarifies. “That’s reign. R-e-i-g-n. Not rain.” He smiles.

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