The Associated Press called the Ohio senate race for incumbent GOP Sen. Rob Portman, despite zero precincts reporting.

Portman had such a significant poll lead heading into Election Day that the race was quickly called by several outlets — even before results began piling in.

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The outcome marks an incredible victory for Portman. For a brief moment not too long ago, it actually seemed as if is former Gov. Ted Strickland had a shot at unseating the Ohio senator. Initially lauded by Democrats as crucial to their quest to regain control of the Senate, they poured millions into his campaign, and Strickland led in nearly every initial poll until June.

But Portman allies launched series of effective negative campaign ads that, combined with a larger supply of cash than his opponent, started to steadily reverse the Republican incumbent’s fortunes. The Portman campaign mercilessly hammered Strickland for the state’s loss of roughly 450,000 jobs during the Democrat’s tenure as governor.

By the end of August, Portman was leading almost every poll by double digits — only twice since Aug. 25 did Portman poll with a lead of anything less than 11 points. On the eve of the election, the RealClearPolitics aggregate had Portman up by over 18 points.