The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) cancelled a week of TV ads scheduled to begin airing in mid-September in the critical Ohio Senate race, according to The Washington Post.

ADVERTISEMENT

The DSCC’s ads were supposed to start airing on Sept. 13, but the group is delaying the TV spots until Sept. 22, political ad trackers from both parties told the Post.

Sen. Rob Portman Robert (Rob) Jones PortmanMcConnell locks down key GOP votes in Supreme Court fight Romney undecided on authorizing subpoenas for GOP Obama-era probes Congress needs to prioritize government digital service delivery MORE (R-Ohio) has consistently led former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) in the polls since mid-July, and a new Emerson College poll released Monday found Portman with his largest margin yet, ahead by 15 points.

Strickland spokesman David Bergstein brushed off the DSCC’s delay in ad spending.

“The DSCC is spending the same amount of money they were slated to spend, it’s just being used to help fund our existing ad instead of through an independent expenditure,” he told the Post.

And DSCC spokeswoman Sadie Weiner told the publication the group is “proud to support Ted’s campaign in a variety of ways” and pointed to an ad buy where national Democrats tie Portman to Trump and knock both Republicans for “their dangerous positions on women’s health.”

The tight race between Portman and Strickland has grown increasingly contentious in a state President Obama won in both 2008 and 2012.

Portman and outside groups have been hammering Strickland, who served the state from 2007 to 2011, over his gubernatorial tenure and accusing him of costing the state jobs and drying up the state's rainy day fun. The GOP senator also has a significant cash advantage.

In a political blow to Strickland, Portman also landed four endorsements from labor unions that have backed the former governor in his past elections.

Meanwhile, Strickland has tried to offset those attacks with an ad of his own, explaining that he was governor during the Great Recession and touting that he balanced the state's budget every year.

He has also lobbed attacks at Portman over the GOP senator's support of past trade agreements, a position at odds with his party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE.

The seat could be pivotal in determining which party gains control of the Senate next year. Democrats need to net five seats — or four if they keep control of the White House — to regain the majority. They are defending 10 seats, while Republicans must fight for 24 seats.