Rob Portman's thin opposition research file: In 40 years, one traffic ticket

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While reporting a lengthy profile on Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, The Cincinnati Enquirer conducted a background check on the potential vice presidential contender in every state he has lived.

They didn't find much.

"An Enquirer background check of records in every state where he has lived found one blemish," Dan Horn and Deirdre Shesgreen wrote i n a profile of their local lawmaker. "A 2007 traffic ticket in Cincinnati for making an improper turn."

The Enquirer's find--or lack thereof--plays into a narrative that Portman could be what is often described as a "safe pick" for  Mitt Romney's vice presidential search.

At 56-years-old, Portman has presumably been driving for about forty years. With one ticket, that's one part of his past that won't be making the attack ads any time soon.