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Columbus, OH — According to a new report in the Sandusky Register, the rivalry between out-of-touch millionaires Josh Mandel and J.D. Vance is heating up as the Republican primary for U.S. Senate gets messier and messier. 

In what’s only the latest in a “nasty, brutal” GOP primary process, Mandel’s latest attack on Vance is focused on Vance’s sham non-profit. Mandel went after Vance for the “charade” and “superficial” non-profit, calling out Vance for using the non-profit to bolster himself and his personal ambitions. Mandel accused Vance of taking the money from his sham non-profit and using it for his political campaign. 

“Republican Senate candidates are sharpening their knives and the attacks are getting nastier and deeply personal. With these escalating attacks, it’s clear these GOP Senate candidates are more focused on attacking each other than the needs of Ohio voters, no surprise from a bunch of out-of-touch millionaires,” said Michael Beyer, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

Key points below:

Sandusky Register: Rivalry heats up between Mandel and Vance

Tom Jackson

September 1, 2021

• The Democratic race for Senate isn’t very exciting so far, but Republicans are engaged in a lively contest.
• For example, despite Ronald Reagan’s “11th commandment” not to speak ill of fellow Republicans, it looks like at least one GOP candidate is trimming the 11 commandments to the original 10.
• The candidate who leads in the polls, former state treasurer Josh Mandel, launched a strident personal attack on Twitter against J.D. Vance, one his challengers.
• Describing Vance’s career, Mandel wrote on Twitter on Aug. 30, “Step 1: Abandon hometown. “Step 2: Profit off of crapping on hometown and calling people from there racists. “Step 3: Return from silicon valley to start nonprofit to ‘save’ hometown from opioids. “Step 4: Take the money from the nonprofit and use it for political campaign.”
• Mandel then linked to a tweet from Toledo Blade political reporter Liz Skalka criticizing Vance’s Our Ohio Renewal nonprofit.
• While Vance’s nonprofit apparently isn’t above criticism, Mandel’s tweet appears to be mocking Vance […]. 
• Vance’s spokesman, Taylor Van Kirk, had no comment on Mandel’s tweet […]. 
• Ronald Reagan, the main Republican icon before Trump, popularized the “11th Commandment,” “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican” during his 1966 campaign for governor, although the Gipper was not always able to live up to that ideal.
• Mandel may be targeting Vance because he appears to be the biggest threat to Mandel’s frontrunner status.

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Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, Howard Wilkinson yesterday eviscerated Mike DeWine for his monumental shift on handling the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of increasing political pressure within his own party. Amid a messy primary, DeWine is looking out for himself and his own interests, and leaving Ohioans to fend for themselves as cases of COVID-19 are on the rise. As Thaddeus Hoffmeister observes in Wilkinson’s column: “(DeWine) seems to have his eyes in the primary and not on the ICU units.”

“In case Mike DeWine needs a reminder, the health and safety of Ohioans is more important than a political campaign. Instead of a governor who caves again and again to extreme members of his own party, Ohioans deserve a strong governor who is willing to stand up and do what’s right for the people of our state. It’s clear that Mike DeWine is not that governor,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Read more from Wilkinson HERE and below:

• The anti-vaxxers. The Trump acolytes. The so-called free market conservatives who don’t believe a private business or a public institution should be able to require masks be worn in their facilities to help stop the spread of the delta variant.
• And, most of all, the Republican majority in the Ohio General Assembly, both House and Senate, who have been busily stripping DeWine of the executive authority he used freely in the first half of 2020 to break the spread of COVID-19.
• It has left the governor – who says he is running for reelection, at the age of 75 – frustrated at every turn. And, most likely, impotent in the face of some deadly serious challenges.
• And he admitted he is powerless now even to mandate masks be worn in schools.
• “I made the decision not to do that,” DeWine said. “As you know, the law provides that if the state legislature does not like a health order, they can repeal it – get rid of it – instantly.
• All of this comes at a time when Ohio’s COVID-19 cases have hit their highest level in seven months.
• “The legislature has effectively made themselves into the executive branch,” said David Niven, professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati.
• “It seems as if he is now saying, ‘I’m going to put partisan politics above the health and welfare of 12 million Ohioans,’ ” Hoffmeister said. “He seems to have his eyes in the primary and not on the ICU units.”

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Mandel Making “New False Claim” That Trump “Actually Won By A Higher Margin” In Ohio In 2020

Columbus, OH — Yesterday in an interview with Taylor Popielarz of Spectrum News, failed Senate candidate Josh Mandel invented a new lie that Trump won Ohio by more than 8 points. 

According to Spectrum News’ Taylor Popielarz, “@JoshMandelOhio made a new false claim I hadn’t heard before: That Ohio’s Republican election officials suppressed Trump’s victory in the state and Trump “actually won by a higher margin” than his 8-pt win.” 

Mandel launched his campaign by saying the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. He has continued to carry water for Trump’s baseless lies about the election and held a rally yesterday on the subject. The Big Lie is the defining issue in Republican primary races around the country – and Mandel is doing his part to keep this conspiracy theory in the news in Ohio.  

“In an effort to appease a failed blogger from Florida, Josh Mandel is dragging the Republican Senate field down another dangerous right-wing conspiracy rabbit hole,” said Michael Beyer, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. “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, which saw a violent mob storming the Capitol and the deaths of five people including a police officer. Every Republican Senate candidate now must answer whether they think Ohio’s election results were fair, and if they refuse to answer their silence will speak volumes.” 

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Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) released the following statement as the Republican-led Ohio Redistricting Commission misses a critical deadline today, one that is enshrined in the constitution requiring the commission to have produced a map proposal and have held three public hearings on the map by today, September 1st.

With so much on the line for Ohioans with redistricting — from healthcare to education to the economy — it says a lot about how seriously the Ohio GOP takes this process when they’ve already failed to live up to their constitutional obligations. And when Democrats on the Commission pressed Republicans on missing the deadline, and when maps may be produced for the public to see, Republicans flippantly replied “when it is presented.” The goal of the original provision was to ensure Ohioans had the opportunity to have their voices heard and hold their elected officials accountable on any proposed maps.

“Ohioans voted twice overwhelmingly for fair districts and a better redistricting process, but Ohio Republicans are playing the same political games they always have — putting their partisan agenda ahead of the transparency and accountability the voters have called for. With so much on the line for Ohio families, voters deserve a fair and open process. But sadly, Ohio Republicans will always put their own self-interest above the interests of working Ohioans,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

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Columbus, OH —  Yesterday, the Cincinnati Enquirer published an op-ed from State Representative Brigid Kelly highlighting how every leading Republican U.S. Senate candidate’s opposition to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would hurt Ohio. In the piece, Rep. Kelly highlights how the bipartisan infrastructure package would grow Ohio’s economy and why political opposition to the bill from leading Republican Senate candidates is disqualifying. Despite Senator Portman negotiating the bill, all of the leading Republican Senate candidates vying to replace him would have voted against the bill.

Read more at the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Rejection of infrastructure bill disqualifies GOP Senate candidates

Brigid Kelly

August 30, 2021

The bipartisan Infrastructure and Investment Act fulfills the promises President Biden made in Cincinnati six weeks ago. It improves our roads, bridges, electric grid and water pipes and creates good-paying jobs for working families. It even restores our faith in democracy, producing a bipartisan 69-30 vote in the U.S. Senate toward its passage.

But when every leading Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio came out against it, it did something else: it showed us, yet again, the bottomless depth of cynicism in today’s politics. Their opposition to the plan seems to come down to appeasing one man: former President Donald Trump.

Consider what the bill would mean for Ohio:

For years, politicians – from both parties – stood in front of the Brent Spence Bridge promising to replace it. Now that dream inches closer to reality. The bill will prioritize funding to repair or replace economically significant bridges like it, helping lift the burden off state and local governments, and reducing the likelihood of tolls to pay for it.

Another huge victory for Ohio is the inclusion of Sen. Sherrod Brown’s “Buy America” rules that require American-made iron, steel and manufactured products for taxpayer-funded infrastructure and public works projects. That’s how we grow good-paying jobs right here in Ohio and compete internationally.

The bill even has the support of Sen. Rob Portman, who helped negotiate it. But instead of getting things done for Ohio families, the GOP looks laser-focused on promoting themselves and their political ambitions. Opposing the bill may be helpful for the Ohio Republican Senate candidates climbing the political ladder, but it would leave Ohio’s roads and bridges to crumble while countries like China are moving full-steam ahead.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill also includes new funding for Ohio to improve access to high-speed internet. The bill includes a program that could help 28% of Ohioans to afford internet access. This past year, we have seen how reliable high-speed internet access is essential for Ohioans across the state to be able to work, attend a doctor’s appointment, or participate in school. By opposing this bill, every Republican candidate would oppose this funding – even though it clearly benefits Ohio.

It’s clear that Ohio Republican Senate candidates’ opposition has nothing to do with substance and everything to do with politics. They should care more about Ohio workers than about gaining Trump’s endorsement. Their political games would have serious consequences for the Buckeye State. If they had their way, Ohio would miss out on $1.2 billion to improve public transportation options, $140 million to support the expansion of an electric vehicle charging network in the state, at least $100 million to expand broadband coverage across the state, $9.2 billion for roads and highways, and $483 million for bridge replacement and repairs – all to appease their own self-serving ambitions.

Ohio deserves a senator focused on creating good-paying jobs in our state and growing our economy. All of the GOP Senate candidates’ rejection of the bipartisan infrastructure bill is disqualifying. If it were up to them, our roads, bridges and water pipes would be left dilapidated and hundreds of thousands of Ohioans would be left without access to high-speed internet. Ohioans will hold them accountable for prioritizing party politics over our state’s best interests.

Democrat Brigid Kelly of Hyde Park is the 31st District state representative.

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