Columbus Dispatch: Mandel Campaign Endures ‘Rocky Start’

On April 9, 2012, The Columbus Dispatch reported:

Mandel, 34, has endured wince-inducing publicity in his bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, dinged by various media outlets for everything from handing plum state treasurer’s-office jobs to campaign aides to skipping 14 consecutive meetings of a state board he chairs as treasurer.

ABC News: Romney Not The ‘Best Messenger’ For Harvard Attacks On Obama

On April 6, 2012, ABC News reported:

Mitt Romney has made a habit of following up heady Republican primary victories with foot-in-mouth comments – and this week was no exception. He ripped President Obama for spending “too much time at Harvard,” even though Romney logged even more years at the Ivy League school. Oops.

POLITICO: Steve King Flags Concern On Romney Federal Court Picks

On April 5, 2012, POLITICO reported:

Iowa Congressman Steve King, one of the staunchest conservatives in the House and a member whose endorsement was sought by almost all the presidential hopefuls ahead of the caucuses, said he will be an "enthusiastic" supporter of the eventual nominee of the party - but raised concerns about Mitt Romney's potential judicial picks as opposed to those who Rick Santorum would tap at a town hall in his home state last night. He also expressed being "uneasy" about Romney and how he will address the health care law as well during the forum, which was captured by the Democratic outside group American Bridge.

Romney: Ryan Plan Is Simply 'Marvelous'

Paul Ryan's budget plan would cause the gradual demise of the Medicare system and cost 1 million students their Pell grants while preserving tax breaks for oil companies. And Mitt Romney thinks it's 'Marvelous'?

VIDEO: Josh Mandel's Flaming Pants

Washington DC - Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel has amassed a long trail of maliciously misleading and inaccurate statements - which is bad enough - but he did have one moment of brutal honesty lately. When confronted with his penchant for dishonesty, Mandel vowed to repeat his lies “again and again,” seeing no downside as reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Josh Mandel is so committed to rapidly advancing his career that he will stop at nothing - including shirking his responsibilities to the state of Ohio, appointing political cronies to positions of responsibility, and trampling the truth - to gain higher political office. It is a sad day when an elected official vows to continue lying to voters for political gain even when proven wrong,” said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century. You can view the video here:

Indy Star: Senator Richard Lugar Under Attack From All Sides

On April 1, 2012, the Indianapolis Star reported:

Ferguson said Lugar's campaign has not done a good job of handling the issue so far. It got worse recently when the liberal PAC American Bridge supplied research to reporters showing that Lugar had violated Senate rules by charging taxpayers for Indianapolis hotel rooms while in Indiana during Senate recesses.

Journal Inquirer: McMahon Has Stake In Oil Pipeline Plan She Supports

On March 31, 2012, the Journal Inquirer reported:

Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Linda McMahon — a champion of the Keystone oil pipeline project — owns shares worth as much as $437,000 in nine of Canada’s largest oil-sands producers and six other Canadian companies that could profit from the business of moving crude from Alberta to U.S. refineries.

ThinkProgress: Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning Calls Drinking Age Unconstitutional

On March 30, 2012, ThinkProgress reported:

In an exclusive interview with ThinkProgress’s Scott Keyes, however, Nebraska Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Jon Bruning (R), one of the conservative elected officials behind the anti-health care lawsuit, says that even this nonsensical attack on health reform does not go far enough. If it were up to him, a seminal 25 year-old opinion laying out the federal government’s power to work in partnership with states should be overruled as well:

Daily Beast: Mitt Romney Secretly Supported Anti-Gay-Marriage Group

On March 30, the Daily Beast reported:

Given recent revelations about NOM, liberal operatives see an opportunity to discomfit Romney and, once the general election is underway, paint him as a right-wing extremist. “As a leading contender for president of the United States, for him to be funding a group whose strategy memos lay out such a hateful way to divide African-Americans and the LGBT community, it’s shocking,” says Chris Harris, communications director of American Bridge 21st Century, the super PAC founded by Media Matters’ David Brock. “When he initially donated in 2008, he may not have known that this is their strategy, but as a political leader and as an opinion leader, he has a responsibility to speak out and condemn their intention of dividing Americans.”

POLITICO: Lugar Repays Feds $14K For Hotel Bills

On March 30, 2012, POLITICO reported:

Sen. Dick Lugar is paying back more than $14,000 to the federal Treasury — three times his earlier estimate — after a closer review of his 35-year career found he owed additional money for hotel stays in the Indianapolis area. The Indiana Republican said Friday that an investigation by the Senate’s disbursing office initiated at his request found he improperly billed taxpayers for his hotel stays for all but seven years during his time in office, amounting to $14,684.85. He cut a personal check paying that amount on Friday.