BY PAUL BARTON
Enquirer Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- While election season is a nervous time on Capitol Hill, two Cincinnati-area Republicans, Reps. John Boehner and Rob Portman, have little to sweat.
The only real question: What do they want to do next?
Both are widely viewed as having compiled impressive congressional portfolios and having tight grips on strongly conservative congressional districts -- the Ohio 2nd for Mr. Portman and the Ohio 8th for Mr. Boehner. Mr. Boehner, first elected in 1990, and Mr. Portman, who gained office in a 1993 special election, routinely win re-election by margins of 70 percent or more.
They also manage to hold astronomical fund-raising leads over their opponents whenever election time rolls around.
Mr. Boehner, 48, who is already the 4th ranking GOP House leader as chairman of the House Republican Conference, makes little secret of his desire to move up the leadership ladder.
"Yeah, I'd like to have the top job," he said of House speaker, a post that Newt Gingrich of Georgia has promised to give up after 2002.
Meanwhile, Mr. Portman, 42, says he is content where he is, even though speculation about his future includes possible races for governor, senator, a House leadership position or inclusion on a presidential ticket.
"I've had some people talk about that, but I can't imagine it," Mr. Portman said of the latter.
In the meantime, they are considered two of the brightest stars in the Republican majority.
One of Mr. Boehner's main jobs as conference chairman is to supply information about legislation and issues to members, including points they can use in talking to their constituents and the news media.
He continues to appear frequently on national news programs to give the GOP viewpoint.
"I would be very surprised if John (Boehner) is not advancing up the ladder," said prominent GOP consultant Charlie Black. "He is very popular and does a good job of managing the conference."
Scratch beneath the surface, congress-watchers say, and it's not hard to find unhappiness among GOP members with the two members that stand between Mr. Boehner and Mr. Gingrich -- Majority Leader Dick Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay, both of Texas.
"You don't get the same kind of harsh private criticism of Boehner that you will get of the others," said Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute.
But all is not rosy for Mr. Boehner.
He along with Messrs. Armey and DeLay suffered some publicity blows related to the aborted coup attempt against Mr. Gingrich in the summer of 1997.
"You have to acknowledge that he has been part of a very divisive time over there," said Republican political consultant Eddie Mahe.
And Mr. Ornstein said there are a number of GOP members outside the leadership who might try to break into it after this election. If Republicans do not do as well as expected in November, political experts say, that could also create difficulties for the current top four.
"It is a very fluid situation," Mr. Ornstein said.
Mr. Boehner, however, is not worried.
"I don't see any leadership challenges under way. I think the team as a whole has done a remarkable job considering the difficult agenda we have been trying to move," he said.
Mr. Portman, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, has a lengthy record of legislative accomplishments, including leading roles in the passage of legislation in 1995 that ended the practice of passing on to states new laws without funding, and Internal Revenue Service reform this year. He has also led congressional efforts to develop community-oriented anti-drug campaigns.
"Portman has been a significant player, viewed by many Democrats as someone they can work with," Mr. Ornstein said.
Outgoing Rep. Bill Paxon of New York, a former member of the GOP leadership himself, said: "Rob has been given one critical assignment after another, and he has done each one better than the last. A lot of people can write a law but they don't know how to market it."
Mr. Paxon said he can easily see Mr. Portman becoming a member of the leadership, if he decides to go for a spot in the future.
Mr. Mahe said he can see a senate or gubernatorial race as a possibility for Mr. Portman.
"I am very happy where I am," Mr. Portman said. "We're making progress on issues people care about. Sometimes my name gets mentioned (for other offices), but I don't get caught up in it."
Even though they have little doubt in terms of re-election, Mr. Boehner and Mr. Portman regularly record attention-getting fund-raising totals, especially Mr. Boehner.
The most recent Federal Election Commission figures available show that Mr. Boehner has out-raised his opponent, Miamisburg Democrat John W. Griffin, by a margin of $846,610 to zero.
Mr. Portman had out-raised Waynesville Mayor Charles W. Sanders $396,080 to zero.
Although vastly outgunned, the two Democratic opponents, like those whom Messrs. Portman and Boehner have faced in previous years, insist they have a chance.
"I want people to know there is real true competition out there," Mr. Sanders said. "Essentially I speak for working class men and women."
Both Mr. Boehner and Mr. Portman give much of their money to other Republican candidates.
Mr. Boehner, in fact, has his own political action committee, the Freedom Project, that has donated $319,345 to other Republican candidates through the most recent FEC reporting period.
Campaign finance experts say the practice of members giving to other members is done to curry favor and build up IOUs.
But Messrs. Boehner and Portman contend they are only interested in retaining the Republican majority.
Mr. Portman said, "I do try to help other Republicans because the agenda that my district cares about is the agenda that a Republican Congress will pursue."
