Rob Portman 2016?

Mr. Portman has a few potential advantages. The first is that very few people know anything about him. In August 2012, when he was being discussed as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney, many pollsters asked people whether their opinion of Mr. Portman was favorable or unfavorable. Most people had no opinion of him whatsoever. The CNN/ORC poll, for example, revealed that 52 percent of the population had “never heard of” Mr. Portman, and another 20 percent had “no opinion” of him. Even among Republicans, 65 percent couldn’t rate him. That’s a big, blank slate…

Being unknown is even better for Mr. Portman than it would be for other candidates, because the story of his evolution on the topic of gay equality is personal and emotional. Those qualities of the story are likely to make him seem authentic and sincere, someone voters can trust.

Research in communication studies, psychology and political science has shown that emotion can enhance the impact of political messages in news stories or in ads in compelling ways. Mr. Portman has a tale in his support of gay equality that can evoke an emotional response. The senator’s son told his parents he was gay three years ago, when he was in college. Last year, Mr. Portman announced a change of his position on marriage equality. He, like a majority of Americans, now supports same-sex marriage. Republicans support it less than Democrats or independents, but even so, roughly 4 in 10 Republicans are supportive.