Former VP contender to mine campaign cash in Greenwich

 In this Monday, Oct. 13, 2014 file photo, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speaks during an interview in Lebanon, Ohio. National environmental group the National Resources Defense Council has launched a $500,000 ad campaign against Portman in Ohio, claiming a federal budget amendment he introduced could undercut the enforceability of the federal Clean Air Act. (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

In this Monday, Oct. 13, 2014 file photo, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speaks during an interview in Lebanon, Ohio. National environmental group the National Resources Defense Council has launched a $500,000 ad campaign against Portman in Ohio, claiming a federal budget amendment he introduced could undercut the enforceability of the federal Clean Air Act. (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

Remember when all the buzz was that Republican Rob Portman was going to be the next vice president?

That was so 2012.

The junior U.S. senator from Ohio, known for kayaking the length of the Rio Grande and playing Hillary Clinton in mock presidential debates, was bypassed by Mitt Romney in favor of Paul Ryan during the last presidential election.

Well, Portman is proof that you don’t have to be a vice presidential contender to mine campaign cash from Connecticut’s Gold Coast. The Ohioan is scheduled to visit the Greenwich home of Leora Levy this Sunday to raise money for his 2016 re-election bid, Hearst Connecticut Media has learned. Levy is a member of the Republican National Committee’s finance arm and is dialed in to the national political scene of the GOP. Contributions start at $500 per person.

 

Neil Vigdor