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MEMORANDUM

To: Interested Parties

From: The Ohio Democratic Party

Re: Josh Mandel’s Extremism On January 6 Is Shaping the Ohio GOP Senate Field 

The Ohio GOP Senate primary has “descended into meanness and pettiness and just plain craziness unlike anything ever seen in Ohio Republican politics.” And nowhere is the craziness more clear than the rhetoric and denialism about the attempted insurrection one year ago. Josh Mandel is leading the pack of out-of-touch millionaires in downplaying the insurrection and even going so far as to tout meetings with January 6 rallygoers. In a primary that has been all about Trump, Mandel desperately wants Trump’s endorsement and has used January 6th to stand out in this crowded field. He has caused other candidates, including J.D. Vance and Jane Timken, to chase him down the conspiracy rabbit hole. But no candidate has caught up to Mandel. 

Here’s how Mandel has staked out the right flank on the Big Lie and January 6th: 

• Josh Mandel has touted meetings with January 6th rallygoers on his Twitter account and called those charged with crimes on January 6 “political prisoners.” After one of his political rallies, Mandel tweeted, “Great to meet Lynette & Diane who exercised their Freedom to Assemble and support President Trump on January 6th.” 
• Mandel has called for abolishing the January 6th commission in favor of a November 3rd commission, which would be able to investigate (at the 5 hour and 1-minute mark) “what was going on” in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Cleveland. No other candidate has made voter fraud claims about Ohio’s election or named Cleveland.
• Mandel called January 6th an operation funded by the Deep State and organized by George Soros. 
• Mandel says he thinks that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and repeats this line to applause at campaign stops and Republican forums around Ohio. 

Just this past month, Mandel has kept January 6th as a message of his campaign: 

• On December 3, he tweeted, “Abolish the January 6th commission and replace it with a November 3rd commission.”
• And on December 17, Hugh Hewitt pushed back on Mandel’s election fraud claims, and Mandel once again mentioned replacing the January 6th commission with a November 3rd commission. Mandel said that Biden is not the legitimate president and that forensic audits will prove Trump won the election. 

Mandel’s belief in January 6th conspiracy theories is all part of an effort to pad Trump’s ego, and it’s why Mandel was spotted at another candidate’s fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago (which was later confirmed by The Washington Post). Mandel will do or say anything to earn Trump’s endorsement and does not care about the consequences of lying about the results of an election or downplaying the insurrection, which saw a violent mob storming the Capitol and resulting in multiple deaths.

Jane Timken And J.D. Vance Are Failing To Catch Up To Mandel’s Extremism

In order to catch up to Mandel, J.D. Vance and Jane Timken have amped up their January 6th rhetoric from before their runs for U.S. Senate to now. 

Before J.D. Vance ran for U.S. Senate:

• Vance did not even tweet anything about January 6th during January 2021. 

Now that he is running for U.S. Senate:

• Vance told Time in July, “There were some bad apples on Jan. 6, very clearly, but most of the people there were actually super peaceful. Some of them were, like, let into the Capitol by the police officers!” 
• In September, Vance told WCMH, “I think it’s a little bit weird that we focus so much on what happened January 6. Yes it was bad, yes people who were violent should face consequences, but I also think we have to keep a little perspective about what happened and some of the other problems that exist in our country.” 

Before Jane Timken decided to run for Senate: 

• On January 6, Timken tweeted, “As Americans we have the constitutional right to redress our grievances but not with violence. What’s happening in the Capitol is wrong and not the way forward.” 
• In January, as the chair of the Ohio Republican Party, told The Plain Dealer she didn’t know “if I would have voted the way he [Gonzalez] did,” which was in favor of impeaching Trump for inciting a riot at the U.S. Capitol, while also praising him as a “very effective legislator.” At the time, Ohio GOP spokesman Evan Machan “declined to say whether Timken still supports the president, or whether she thinks Trump contributed to the violence.”

After becoming a U.S. Senate candidate: 

• Timken changed her tune and said that January 6th has been “blown out of proportion” and that there were “good, patriotic Americans who went to the Capitol.” This is likely to shield herself from more criticism from Josh Mandel, who has gone after Timken for defending Anthony Gonzalez’s decision to vote to impeach Trump by calling it “rational.” Timken eventually changed her position and called for Gonzalez to resign but that hasn’t stopped the infighting. 
• Josh Mandel attacked Timken for flip-flopping on Gonzalez after her campaign “saw polling” on the issue. When Gonzalez announced he wasn’t running for reelection, Mandel went after Timken and called her “pro-impeachment.”

The Ohio GOP Senate primary has become a “race for former President Trump’s endorsement” which “is putting several candidates on a collision course that some Republicans fear could hobble the party in the 2022 midterm elections.” Mandel is leading the charge in appeasing Trump’s fantasies about January 6th in order to secure his endorsement and has led J.D. Vance and Jane Timken down a conspiracy rabbit hole in order for them to remain relevant. 

The race to the bottom in this crowded primary has been an event to behold and with four months left, has shown no signs of slowing down. The Ohio Democratic Party remains committed to holding Josh Mandel accountable for his extremism and making the case to Ohioans that J.D. Vance, Jane Timken, or whatever out-of-touch millionaire wins this divisive primary only cares about themselves and not the needs of working Ohioans. 

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Columbus, OH — Jane Timken is touting the endorsement of a Trump critic who blasted Trump as “untruthful, insulting,” and lacking “substance.” Which leads us to ask … why is Jane Timken accepting the endorsement of a Trump critic, especially in a primary race that’s been all about Trump so far?   

Here are a couple of ways Stefanik has been critical of Trump: 

• Stefanik said Trump’s “insulting” rhetoric about women hurts the GOP’s efforts to reach out to women. 
• Stefanik blasted presidential candidates who make “untruthful statements,” a dig at Trump. 
• In January 2016, Stefanik went after Trump, saying, “I think we should expect more substance out of our candidates.”

Jane Timken’s insufficient support of Trump in the past has been an issue in this primary. Jane Timken called Anthony Gonzalez’s decision to impeach Trump “rational” and she’s taken heat from Mandel over the issue ever since. When Anthony Gonzalez retired, Josh Mandel skewered Timken, saying she was “pro-impeachment” and “having a candlelight vigil for her bud Anthony Gonzalez.” He mocked Timken, by sarcastically impersonating her, tweeting, “Um, do I need to change my pro-impeachment stance now? Or should I poll it first?”

And Timken has tirelessly tried to remain relevant in this race by going after the other candidates in the field for not being Trumpian enough, and you can be sure the attacks will fly back at her for touting the endorsement of a former anti-Trumper, making this race even messier and nastier.

“Just like Elise Stefanik, Jane Timken wants her anti-Trump past to fade away. Now that she is touting the endorsement from a never-Trumper who blasted Trump as ‘untruthful,’ ‘insulting,’ and lacking ‘substance,’ Jane Timken must answer: why is she accepting the endorsement of a Trump critic, and does she agree with Stefanik’s criticisms of Trump?” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

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For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

“Ohio is flailing in a ‘code blue’ medical emergency. The patient is critical. But the rapid response team got waylaid. By politics.”  

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, an Ohio Capital Journal commentary eviscerates Mike DeWine today as he and fellow Republicans have “failed the public” in response to surging COVID-19 cases statewide. Instead of standing up to “do something,” DeWine is showing exactly what kind of leader he is by putting politics above the health and safety of Ohioans, as cases continue to skyrocket.

“Gov. Mike DeWine, never a profile in courage, refused to buck the right-wingers calling the shots with his administration. He could have challenged their unconstitutional seizure of his authority, but snagging a second term took precedence over taking a stand in the public interest. He chose to acquiesce to the MAGA cult for his own career and never looked back,” writes the Ohio Capital Journal.

“Mike DeWine is only concerned about his own political prospects and Ohioans are paying the price for the lack of leadership every day. As Ohio continues to set record case numbers, it’s far past time for DeWine to grow a spine and stand up to his own party instead of risking the lives of Ohioans for his own political gain,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

Read more on DeWine’s lack of leadership from Ohio Capital Journal here and below:

• Paging Dr. Amy Acton. Help! We are rudderless and reeling. Our health care system is crashing. 
• Ohio is flailing in a “code blue” medical emergency. The patient is critical. But the rapid response team got waylaid. By politics.
• Today, a state once nationally lauded for its prudent, pre-emptive shutdowns that successfully blunted Ohio’s pandemic toll, is cited as a standout example of abject failure in public health.
• In melodramatic legislating, akin to adolescent door-slamming, state lawmakers declared themselves in charge of public health emergencies — skilled as they were in triaging catastrophic medical events. The MAGA crowd also clipped the wings of the executive branch, just in case the governor got any ideas about leading the state in a full-blown crisis.
• Gov. Mike DeWine, never a profile in courage, refused to buck the right-wingers calling the shots with his administration. He could have challenged their unconstitutional seizure of his authority, but snagging a second term took precedence over taking a stand in the public interest. He chose to acquiesce to the MAGA cult for his own career and never looked back. 
• Rather than being upstaged by his fellow Republicans, DeWine quickly dropped mask mandates, social distancing and other restrictions ahead of his own criteria for safely doing so.
• Instead of leading on the pandemic, DeWine made excuses. He didn’t mandate proven tools for curbing COVID outbreaks because there was no “appetite” for them. His hands were tied by law. It was the legislature’s fault. 
• [DeWine] would recommend public health protections during a raging pandemic but not require compliance (for the greater good) with any of them. Not if he wanted to win reelection.
• As the delta variant surged in August, we waited for DeWine to do something. As the school year started with cases up sharply and half of all districts maskless, we waited for DeWine to protect thousands of Ohio students and staff. As children’s hospitals throughout the state begged schools to mandate masks, we waited for DeWine to intervene after he agreed it was the right thing to do. 
• As the omicron variant packs Ohio hospitals to the breaking point with mostly unvaccinated patients, we wait for DeWine to do something besides propping up besieged medical facilities with reinforced manpower.
• During a recent press conference, DeWine spoke like a man running for reelection and not like a leader doing what needs to be done to prevent a train wreck from happening in the next few weeks. 
• Unfortunately, DeWine put keeping his job first and let what should have been a stat response to an imminent disaster become a recommendation — lest anyone be offended.  “Ohio Strong” rings hollow.

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  January 3, 2022 

Good Monday afternoon, and welcome back to Mike Check, your weekly source of all the infighting, conspiracy spewing and corruption that’s making headlines in and around the Republican governor’s race and Mike DeWine’s statehouse, courtesy of the Ohio Democratic Party.

As the gubernatorial race heats up, Republicans are in disarray with Mike DeWine’s popularity dropping by the day, facing attacks both inside and outside of the Republican Party, and having to answer for the largest public corruption scandal in state history. It’s hard to keep up with all of the corruption and mess surrounding Mike DeWine and the GOP gubernatorial primary, so here are some stories you may have missed:

PUTTING POLITICS FIRST.  Recently, Washington Monthly took Mike DeWine to task for the way he’s caved to political pressure, putting Ohioans and their families at risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The article outlines how DeWine has increasingly folded to political pressure and the extreme members of his own party who have responded in turn by further weakening DeWine’s hand. While Mike DeWine seems to only be concerned about his own political prospects, Ohioans are paying the price for DeWine’s lack of leadership as Ohio continues to set record case numbers. Now, just four states are “more dangerous for COVID-19 than Ohio.” It’s far past time for DeWine to put political considerations aside and do the right thing by Ohio families.

“REIGN OF TERROR.” In a sign of just how messy the next few months are about to become for Mike DeWine, his primary challenger, Jim Renacci released an ad this week going directly after DeWine. The ad, set to air statewide, attacks DeWine for his ties to corruption and for being a career politician, calling DeWine’s tenure a “reign of terror.” These attacks are only sure to escalate over the coming months as this race gets messier. WATCH:

HB6 IS “FEELING ‘22.” As we head into 2022, the largest public corruption scandal in state history drags into another year with no clear end in sight. Every single day, Ohioans are on the hook for $232,000 for the bribery scandal. That’s $170 million to date. That’s $170 million too much for hard-working Ohioans to lose. This year, Ohio demands more accountability into HB6. We’ll be working overtime to hold DeWine and those in his orbit accountable for statehouse corruption coming at the heavy expense of hard-working families in Ohio.

Thanks for catching up with us, that’s all the Mike Check we’ve got for this week. If you have questions my email is [email protected]. Have a great week!

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Columbus, OH — This past year, we’ve witnessed plenty of clownery from the Republican U.S. Senate candidates as their primary has “descended into meanness and pettiness and just plain craziness unlike anything ever seen in Ohio Republican politics.” We wanted to take a moment to commemorate how the event has become a “reputation-ruining event for the ages” with awards these out-of-touch millionaires deserve. 

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate has been called Ohio’s ugliest primary ever, the “clown olympics,” and “crazy pants.” As the candidates find new ways to sink lower and lower, we want to relive the moments this past year that remind us just how nasty, chaotic, and expensive the Ohio GOP Senate primary has become. 

Taylor Swift says, “you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes” and we’re here today to hand out stupid prizes to commemorate just how much of a dumpster fire the GOP Senate primary has been this past year. Without any further ado *drumroll commences*, the Ohio Democratic Party Clown Awards go to… 

Most Cringe: Jane Timken saying, “It’s Timken Time!”

Timken really thought she was doing something with this alliteration. At the latest traveling clown show debate, Timken said (at the 21-minute mark), “It’s time to stand up and fight back… it’s Timken Time.” And based on the poll her campaign released this month, showing she had lost ground from the internal poll her campaign released in June, where did Timken Time go? Like most Timken things, our best guess is overseas to China. 

Most Ambition: Josh Mandel

Do we really need to explain this one?

Most Embarrassing: Everyone’s Twitter Account

In an effort to be the most Trumpian, the out-of-touch millionaires have taken to saying the most outrageous things on every social media platform in order to please a Florida man. It’s not actually who any of them are, it’s all an act. It’s embarrassing that instead of focusing on Ohio, all of the candidates are pleading through soundbites online for the approval of a Florida man. This award was really a team effort, congratulations to all the clowns! 

Biggest Coward: Jane Timken 

Jane Timken called Anthony Gonzalez’s decision to impeach Trump “rational” after he incited a riot that tried to overturn the results of the election. Through a spokesperson, Timken refused to say if she still supported President Trump. But my, how times change when your political ambition is top of mind. Timken completely abandoned this position in order to be competitive in this primary and has morphed her political persona to saying “America First” as many times as possible in her stump speech. The Biggest Coward Award is well-deserved, Jane Timken. 

Biggest Flip-Flop: J.D. Vance 

J.D. Vance went from calling Trump “reprehensible” and an “idiot” to now sucking up to the former president. The other GOP Senate candidates haven’t let him forget it, with Mandel allies and Gibbons’ campaign running ads totaling millions of dollars reminding Ohioans of Vance’s anti-Trump past. Vance has bragged about his 180, even calling himself a “flip-flop flipper.” By Vance’s own admission, he really earned this award. 

Biggest Consulting Windfall: Mike Gibbons 

Huge congratulations are in order for all of the TV consultants who work for Mike Gibbons, they’ve had a heckuva year. They convinced a multi-millionaire to pledge to launch a $10 million ad campaign that has gotten him to 11.9 percent in this primary. No one is merrier this holiday season than the consultants who have stuffed their pockets with Mike Gibbons’ money. Congratulations on winning Biggest Consulting Windfall, you deserve it!

Peter Thiel Puppet Award: J.D. Vance

Thiel donated $10 million to a super PAC supporting his campaign and then Vance parroted Peter Thiel’s attacks against one of Peter Thiel’s competitors in Silicon Valley. It’s pathetic to watch Vance jump however high an out-of-state Big Tech billionaire tells him to, but much like his Trump about-face, it’s clear Vance will grovel to out-of-staters in order to advance his political career. Ohioans don’t need a Peter Thiel puppet in the Senate, but Silicon Valley Vance is sure trying to keep his and Peter Thiel’s dream alive. 

Biggest Grifter: J.D. Vance’s Sham Opioid Non-Profit

Writing a New York Times op-ed about how you plan to do good for your home state and then spending most of the money meant to help Ohioans struggling with opioid addiction on your political cronies is a big grift. But for Vance, it’s behavior he learned from the best during his time in D.C. and San Francisco! It should be clear to everyone now that Vance was using this opioid non-profit to build goodwill while padding his political cronies’ pockets in order to set himself up for a future run for public office. It’s inspiring to watch Silicon Valley Vance use whatever cause he thinks will benefit his ambition and for that, Biggest Grift has Vance’s name all over it. 

Most Extreme: Josh Mandel

No candidate has gone further in perpetuating the Big Lie than Josh Mandel, going so far as to meet with January 6 rallygoers and lie about the 2020 presidential election being stolen. It’s a dangerous game Josh Mandel is willing to play in order to advance his political career. Josh Mandel is the Most Extreme in this primary, and we take no pleasure in giving him this distinction.  

Biggest Fraud: It’s A Tie!

Every single one of the out-of-touch millionaires has had to create a new political persona in order to chase Trump’s endorsement and be competitive in this out-of-control primary. This crowded primary is a bunch of phonies calling each other phonies for being phony. Everyone’s a fraud for participating in this primary, congratulations! 

Biggest Who?: Bernardo Moreno

GOP donor and insider Bernie Moreno has donated under two names, Bernardo Moreno and Bernie Moreno. So who’s really running for Senate… Bernie or Bernardo? This one’s a puzzler.

Biggest Why?: Matt Dolan

Why get in this field of clowns in the first place? 

Creepiest Everyman Attempt: Josh Mandel

Josh Mandel’s bit of greeting restaurant workers, which became a regular occurrence after his tweet thanking a server showing up to work sick during a global pandemic, features Mandel trying to appear like a human being. It’s awkward to watch Josh Mandel try and relate to people who actually show up to work, but he’ll do or say anything to remind people he’s not a robot. Congratulations Josh, you’ve really had to work hard for this. 

People’s Choice: Mark Pukita 

Mark Pukita has gone above and beyond to pander to the worst elements of this primary. He’s bragged about being unvaccinated to loud applause at forums. It’s clear he’s the People’s Choice in another example of just how crazy this primary has become. 

Class Clown: Josh Mandel

Clumsily burning a mask, fighting over civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr.’s family, and feuding with the Anti-Defamation League all for attention. Josh Mandel brings his clown face paint to every fight he gets into and has certainly earned this distinction. 

Messiest Senate Primary: The GOP Ohio Senate Primary

Need we say more? 

Now that we have named our winners and taken a look back, do not congratulate all of the winners of this year’s Ohio Democratic Party Clown Awards if you see them. It’s clear that no matter who wins this primary, Ohioans will be the biggest loser if any of these clowns make it to the U.S. Senate. 

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