COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Conservative restlessness withintheir own party poses challenges to three
Republican stars in thebattleground state of Ohio, where House Speaker John Boehner, Sen. RobPortman and
Gov. John Kasich all have riled up the right.Kasichupset some by pushing for certain tax increases and
embracing Medicaidexpansion under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul; Boehneris clashing with
conservative groups over the federal budget; andPortman faces backlash from social conservatives over his
about-face infavor of gay marriage.Whether the GOP trio can hold Republicanstogether has sweeping political
implications, given Ohio’s role as aswing state and the three men’s own national profiles. Kasich andPortman
have been floated as presidential-ticket contenders, whileBoehner seeks to hang on to one of Washington’s
most powerful jobs.Someparty dissidents feel betrayed, seeing an orchestrated effort to courtsupport among
the roughly 20 percent of unaffiliated voters in Ohio’smiddle. Kasich could face a primary challenge in 2014
and lose someconservatives to a Libertarian candidate in November. People are liningup to oppose Boehner in
the district he has held more than two decades,while there’s talk of recruiting a primary challenger for
Portman in2016."The Republican Party needs to know what it stands for,"said Tom Zawistowski, a
leader in the Ohio tea party movement. "We’renot going to let them slide."Given the current
volatility anduncertainty in U.S. politics, what happens with the three leaders inOhio, often seen as a
political bellwether, "could serve as a beacon ofnational interest," said Barbara Trish, an
associate political scienceprofessor at Iowa’s Grinnell College who studies political parties.VeteranOhio
GOP consultant Mark Weaver said division over strict adherence tophilosophy and winning elections isn’t
unique to state Republicans andthat "it’s similar to one we’re seeing around the country. Like
theDemocrats, the Republican Party has some natural tension inside it, butgiven the horrific performance of
Barack Obama, we’re going to be unitedin bringing America back from the Obama
policies."RepublicanSecretary of State Jon Husted said Boehner, Portman and Kasich face aclassic
political conflict: whether to follow, or lead, public opinion."Theseguys have been pretty successful
in their own right; they’re prettysmart politically. They’re trying to skate, as Wayne Gretzky says, towhere
the puck’s going to be, not necessarily where the puck is," Hustedsaid. "That path is not always
clear."Ohio consultant CurtSteiner places Portman in the leader category. The Cincinnati nativestunned
conservative backers in March when he announced his support forsame-sex marriage, after his son Will came
out as gay."I think history will show that he was ahead of the curve," said Steiner, who helped
run Portman’s first congressional campaign.Theformer White House budget chief was an adviser and
shortlistedpotential running mate in Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, andSteiner believes Portman
will continue to build his reputation as athoughtful leader on "meat-and-potatoes issues that people
focus on themost."But some conservatives are distrustful now."Rob Portman’s going to pay a price.
He was wrong," said Zawistowski, of Portage County in northeast Ohio.Kasich’scritics suspect he has one
eye on 2014 and another on 2016. He hasdrawn favorable national attention — including publicly from Obama —
forhis push to make Medicaid available to more low-income Ohioans, and forsome innovative tax and spending
proposals that Kasich spokesman RobNichols said were an overall reduction.A big re-election victory in
November would almost certainly put him in play for his party’s national ticket.Talk of GOP dissidence
doesn’t much faze Kasich."Idon’t think anything about it," Kasich told reporters recently.
"I’mnot interested in all the political … you know, if I’m interested inanything about politics, I’ll
read Politico."Democrats say thatwhile leading Republicans might be trying to appeal to a wider
audiencewith words, their actions are still for the rich and against women’shealth and other
issues."We’ve seen it time and time again," saidJerid Kurtz, Ohio Democratic Party spokesman.
"While they may bechanging their language, their actions are just as destructive to themiddle class as
ever."Any GOP challengers to the Ohio trio facean uphill battle; perhaps the steepest is in the 8th
House District thatBoehner, of West Chester, has carried by large margins since his firstwin in
1990."It’s going to be one of those David and Goliathfights," said Ann Becker, who leads the
Cincinnati tea party, anumbrella for southwest Ohio groups.Regional groups recently held aforum with
possible opponents for Boehner, who this month expressedexasperation in Washington with conservative groups
he felt were pushingHouse Republicans to oppose bipartisan budget efforts.One announced primary challenger,
Troy teacher J.D. Winteregg, hopes to attract help from Boehner critics outside of Ohio."Boehneris a
fundraising juggernaut," he said. "You can’t expect to competeunless you can raise funds from
outside the state. But this race has anational narrative. It’s a national race."Veteran
conservativeactivist Lori Viars, of Republican-dominated southwest Ohio, said shesees conservatives split
into three groups: those who will vote for the"lesser of two evils" next November, those who will
make a protest vote,and those who will stay home."That one is frankly my biggest concern," she
said, worrying that lackluster turnout could hurt Republicans overall.___Sewell reported from Cincinnati.
Associated Press writer Ann Sanner contributed to this report in Columbus.Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten orredistributed.