An open Senate seat in the Ohio house has set off a round of jockeying among ambitious Democrats…and a spirited debate…over who is best poised to lead a party comeback in the one-time battleground state…that now trends Republican. At the core of the fight, triggered by the unexpected retirement of Sen. Rob Portman, is whether the party should prioritize gender or racial diversity in its nominee…or again align behind a white man with the hope of winning back the white, working-class voters who have been leaving the party for years. Some influential Democrats are urging Dr. Amy Acton, a white, former state health director…who emerged to prominence during the pandemic…to jump in for what would be her first bid for public office.