Possible 2016 Hopeful Rob Portman Heads to New Hampshire

Add another name to the list of potential Republican presidential hopefuls -- U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. Portman will be heading up to New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary, later this month. David Catanese over at The Run has the details.

Coming from one of the largest swing states on the map, Portman received a good deal of attention as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney. While he was passed over for Paul Ryan, Portman does have a fairly impressive background, serving in the U.S. House for 12 years before joining President George W. Bushs administration as U.S. trade representative and director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

But the knock on Portman is that he is dull and was perhaps a little too safe a choice for Romney. That could have changed in recent months. Noting that his son was gay, Portman announced earlier in the year that he supported same-sex marriage. While this might change national perceptions of Portman, it certainly wont help him lure social conservatives into his camp if he runs for president in 2016.

With the likes of Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Rick Santorum and Scott Walker waiting in the wings, its hard to see where Portman fits into the 2016 picture for Republicans. Regardless, his name will be on the list of potential hopefuls as he heads up to New Hampshire.