Ohio Sen. Rob Portman ultimately decided against entering the 2016 race himself. | AP Photo Rob Portman endorses John Kasich

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman endorsed his home-state governor, John Kasich, on Saturday, calling him "a leader who has a proven record of delivering results."

"John turned Ohio around at a tough time and I believe he can do the same for our country," Portman said. "I have known John for over 20 years and consider him a good friend."


Portman's endorsement was not seen as a sure thing for Kasich, a two-term governor who is struggling to gain traction in the race for the GOP nomination. Portman has long been close to the Bush family, having served as U.S. trade representative and as the director of the office of management and budget in the George W. Bush White House.

A top Portman political aide, fundraiser Heather Larrison, is also working for Jeb Bush.

Portman — who had earlier suggested he would not endorse during the GOP primary — is facing tough political terrain in 2016 with a likely reelection bid against former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland on the horizon.

In Saturday's statement, issued by his Senate campaign, Portman took a shot at his probable opponent, saying that Kasich "inherited a mess from former Governor Ted Strickland" and blaming him for the loss of more than 350,000 jobs and a low ranking in job creation "as companies left Ohio for other states."

"Governor Kasich has done a great job leading Ohio’s comeback, and I believe he is needed now to do the same for our country as the next president of the United States," Portman said.

Portman was on Mitt Romney's vice presidential short list in 2012 and considered making a presidential run of his own this year, but ultimately decided against it. In March 2013, he became the first Republican senator to support same-sex marriage, announcing his decision in an op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch to much criticism from social conservatives.

Kasich and Portman share many of the same moderate conservative proclivities, but have distinctly different styles — the voluble governor rarely passing up an example to mention his blue-collar roots, and the low-key senator the product of prep school and New Hampshire's Dartmouth College.

Kasich is betting everything on a strong showing in New Hampshire, telling the Dispatch in an interview Friday that if he didn't do well in the Feb. 9 primary, "I’m going home. I’m not dragging it out."

“I’m counting on the people here to help me do well," he added later. "I feel good. I’m optimistic that we’re going to come out of here like a firecracker.”

In a Fox News poll published on Friday, Kasich drew the support of 7 percent of the state's likely Republican primary voters, putting him in fifth place behind Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Bush.

Another New Hampshire poll out Friday — this one including independents — put Kasich somewhat higher at nearly 12 percent, good enough for third place behind Bush, by an statistically insignificant margin. In that poll, Kasich fared slightly with independents than he did among Republicans.