In a statement, Clinton cast Strickland as a consensus builder.
“Ted Strickland offers a unique blend of qualities we need more of in Washington today: a proven record of service to hard working Ohioans, energy, determination and idealism,” said Clinton. “He knows how to reach across the aisle to find common ground and when Ohioans need him to stand his ground. No one will care more, know more, and work harder for better opportunities for every Ohioan than Ted. I'm proud to support him.”
The former Democratic president's endorsement comes as his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton (D), appears to be gearing up for a presidential campaign. While she is not endorsing Strickland at this time, her husband's support offers a glimpse of how Democrats may try to conjoin the battle for the Senate and the fight for the White House in key battlegrounds like Ohio.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee endorsed the former governor earlier this month.
Democrats need to pick up four seats to win back the Senate majority -- five if a Republican wins the presidency, since the vice president breaks ties in the Senate. The path back to the majority runs through purple states Republicans are defending, such as Ohio, New Hampshire and Florida, which are also expected to be contested in the presidential campaign.
Depending on Hillary Clinton's popularity in those states as the election draws near, Senate Democratic strategists could try to link their candidates closely to her, should she run and win her party's nomination. The hope would be to prevent Republican candidates from winning many down-ballot cross-over votes.
The former president's endorsement is not a surprise; the Clintons are political allies of the former governor. Strickland endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.
Bill Clinton's support comes as Strickland has quickly established himself as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, and eventual battle against Sen. Rob Portman (R). But even as the Democratic establishment coalesces around Strickland, his underdog opponent, Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld (D), has so far refused to bow out and is showing no signs that he is preparing to do so. Many Democrats had expected that Sittenfeld would step aside once Strickland decided to run.
Dale Butland, a Democratic strategist who signed on as a senior adviser and spokesman for Sittenfeld, said that Bill Clinton's endorsement was "hardly a surprise" given Strickland's past support for Hillary Clinton. Ohioans, Butland said "are looking for fresh voices and new faces and above all, change."
The deadline for first quarter fundraising will come at midnight. The fundraising reports, which campaigns have until April 15 to file, can indicate how much momentum the candidates have built.
Updated at 12:20 p.m.