George Voinovich will not run for re-election to the Senate in 2010, leaving the Ohio spot wide open for both Republicans and Democrats.  Conservatives won’t miss Voinovich, who derided his tearful performance in helping deny John Bolton confirmation as ambassador to the UN.  His departure may make the midterms more difficult for the GOP, especially in Ohio:

“This has not been an easy decision for us,” Voinovich said of he and his wife. “I still have the fire in my belly to do the work of our nation, but after serving the next two years, it will be time to step back and spend the rest of our time with our children and grandchildren, siblings and extended family and friends.”

Even as Voinovich’s decision went public, former Rep. Rob Portman was moving to consolidate support behind his candidacy for the Republican nomination. Portman has already reached out to House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) to make clear he would run, and reportedly will unveil Mercer Reynolds, the finance chairman of President George W. Bush’s reelection race, as his lead money man.

Portman might have the Republican field to himself as former Rep. John Kasich appears to be far more interested in challenging Gov. Ted Strickland (D) in 2010 and party leaders are pushing former Sen. Mike DeWine (R) to run for state attorney general.

The retirements of Republicans in the House and Senate over the past two years created enormous difficulties for the GOP in 2008.  They already faced a numerical hurdle built into their overwhelming win in 2002 in the Senate, plus the damage done to the Republican brand from overspending and scandals.  The result was a near-wipeout in the Senate in November, with the GOP barely hanging onto enough seats to keep the filibuster a possibility.  They can’t afford too many more retirements if the Republicans expect to make a comeback in 2010.

In this case, though, Republicans and conservatives alike can cheer.  Voinovich had “grown” in his tenure into a reliable squish in a state that still prefers conservatism.  Rob Portman remains very popular even with the state turning to Democrats after scandals in Republican-led government a few years back.  He will probably run unopposed in the primary for Voinovich’s seat, giving him a leg up on what may be a crowded Democratic field.

And Ohioans may be looking for new leadership anyway.  After former Governor Robert Taft got caught up in some petty scandals, voters turned out Republicans for state office in 2006 and supported Barack Obama in 2008.  The Joe the Plumber political scandal erupted too late for any effect in November, but clean-government voters have a good reason to kick out Democrats the next time around, and the mid-terms may give Republicans a big boost in 2010.

In order to win, though, the national party will have to produce some principled opposition to the nationalization of private industry that both Republicans and Democrats have pushed in the last three months.  If the GOP can’t give voters a choice better than a Democrat and a fake Democrat, voters will choose authenticity every single time.