Charles Sanders, take note!

Former 2nd District congressman Rob Portman, now the White House budget director, said Monday that under the "current circumstances,'' with "external influences" pointing to a possible Democratic takeover of Congress, even he might have had to break a sweat to get re-elected if he were running this year.

Portman came to the Enquirer editorial Monday to tout the Bush tax cuts as having a positive impact on the economy, but talked a little politics too.

Near the end of his hour-long talk with the board, he said he wanted to put in a pitch for Jean Schmidt, the Clermont County Republican elected to replace him last year after he left to become U.S. trade representative.

"I know something about this district and (Schmidt) better represents the values of this district than does her opponent,'' said Portman, referring to Democratic candidate Victoria Wulsin.

Schmidt, Portman said, has gone a "good job" particularly with the constiuent services part of being a member of Congress; and pointed out that Schmidt had kept some of his best former staff members.

Portman, like Schmidt, was first elected to the 2nd District seat in a special election. In his case, it was 1993, when Willis Gradison left Congress.

After that first campaign, Portman cake-walked his way to victory in the next six elections - the last three times against former Waynesville mayor Charles Sanders.

Portman said the 1993 special election was the only time he used TV ads - the other times he relied on yard signs, billboards and traveling around the seven-county district meeting with voters.

Portman said that he believes that if he were running this year, he would have to crank it up a notch.

"It's that kind of atmosphere; it's a difficult year,'' Portman said. "I could even start to feel it a little bit the last time I ran.''

He couldn't have felt it too much, though - in 2004, his last congressional election, he beat Sanders with nearly 72 percent of the vote.

Two years before, he won against Sanders with 74 percent.