Plain Dealer: Shady pics and video: Groups backing Josh Mandel, Sherrod Brown having fun and fits
On December 1, 2011, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported:
Speaking of authentic images, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican who plans to run against Brown and is supported by the Chamber of Commerce, was in Washington yesterday to raise money. A video tracking team from American Bridge, a political group that says it wants to "hold Republicans accountable," was waiting for him outside one of the Capitol Hill events, and the video -- of a fast-walking Mandel -- is posted above.
Plunderbund: Josh Mandel’s salary database even has his own salary wrong
On November 30, 2011, Plunderbund reported:
A few months back, as the SB5/Issue 2 battle was heating up, Treasurer Josh Mandel put up his “transparency” website which allowed people to search for the salaries of public employees in Ohio. The data, obtained from the right-leaning Buckeye Institute, not only excluded the salaries of a number of key advisers to Mandel, but it also highly overstated the salaries of many public employees. As all this was going on, Mandel was delaying the release his personal financial disclosure forms with the United State Senate for 6 months supposedly to make sure everything was exactly right. Here’s the thing: if you compare his own salary for 2010 on the website against the salary he listed on his PFDs, they are different...
"Pants on Fire" from PolitiFact for Josh Mandel
During a November 14th radio interview on the Tea Party Express Hour, Ohio Treasurer said that Sen. Sherrod Brown is "out there egging on a lot of these protesters who are spitting on policemen and going to the bathroom on policemen's cars at these protests on Wall Street and other places." PolitiFact Ohio analyzed Mandel's statement and came to this conclusion:
As a public official, Mandel knows words matter. And given the incendiary level of other comments he made in the interview (he says at one point that Brown has "vilified capitalism" and views anyone who creates jobs as "the enemy.") his clear meaning was that Brown was encouraging protesters who are "spitting on policemen and going to the bathroom on policemen’s cars." That statement is not accurate and also makes a ridiculous claim. On the Truth-O-Meter, that rates Pants on Fire.
Toledo Blade: Mandel refuses to give up Iott's donation
On November 2, 2011, the Toledo Blade reported:
The campaign of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected a call for him to donate to charity a $1,000 contribution he received from a Lucas County man who portrayed a Nazi soldier in military re-enactments. [...] Mr. Mandel, who is Jewish, is seeking the GOP nomination to run for Senator Brown's seat in 2012. The liberal issue advocacy group ProgressOhio said Mr. Mandel should donate the contribution to a charity, such as the Wiesenthal Center or the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Cleveland Jewish News: Nazi reenactor gives $1,000 to Mandel Senate campaign
Marilyn Karfeld at the Cleveland Jewish News highlights Josh Mandel's acceptance of a $1000 contribution from a Nazi reenactor:
"Rich Iott, a 2010 Ohio Republican congressional candidate who for years dressed up in SS uniforms to participate in Nazi reenactments, has given $1,000 to Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel's Senate campaign. The October Federal Elections Commission filing by Citizens for Josh Mandel shows Iott donated the money on Sept. 5 to Mandel's primary-election campaign..."
Columbus Dispatch editorial: Mandel remains a mystery to Ohioans
Jack Torry of the Columbus Dispatch wrote the following:
"After the Senate approved Sen. Sherrod Brown’s bill aimed at punishing China for its export policy to the United States, a reporter asked Brown’s likely opponent, Republican Josh Mandel, how he would have voted on the bill. A Mandel spokesman answered this way: “Try as he might, it’s too late for Sherrod Brown to hide from his record of outsourcing Ohio jobs to countries like China. During Sherrod Brown’s past decade as a D.C. politician, one out of every four jobs that has left America left from Ohio.” There was a bit more, but you get the idea. Nowhere did the spokesman provide the slightest clue as to where Mandel stood on an issue that has a lot of traction in Ohio..."
POLITICO: Nazi reenactor gave Mandel $1,000
On October 21, 2011, POLITICO reported:
"Rich Iott, the Nazi reenactor who ran unsuccessfully for Congress, donated $1,000 to Josh Mandel's Ohio Senate campaign, according to the Republican's campaign finance filing provided to POLITICO by the Democratic group American Bridge."
Plain Dealer: Conservative Family Research Council set to endorse Josh Mandel in U.S. Senate race
Henry Gomez from the Plain Dealer reports that Josh Mandel was endorsed by the controversial Family Research Council:
Family Research Council is no stranger to controversy. It cracks the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of hate groups for "defaming gays and lesbians." The New York Times, in its coverage of last week's summit, noted that FRC dismisses the claim as "politically motivated."
Dayton Daily News: Mandel takes on critics of campaign
Josh Mandel defends his Suarez Corporation contributions to Laura Bischoff at the Dayton Daily News.
On the questions raised over campaign contributions: Mandel accepted more than $100,000 in campaign donations from employees of Canton-based Suarez Corp., a marketing firm owned by GOP donor Ben Suarez. The (Toledo) Blade reported that several of the donors live in modest homes, have low-level job titles and have never made political contributions to federal candidates. Yet they dug deep and gave the maximum allowable campaign contribution to Mandel — $5,000. Giving campaign money in the name of another is illegal.
Mark Naymik, Plain Dealer: To be a model of transparency, Treasurer Josh Mandel and others have long way to go
Mark Naymik at the Plain Dealer discusses Josh Mandel's failure to file his Senate personal financial disclosure form:
Finally, Mandel should shine more light on himself. He has refused to file required personal financial information related to his bid for the U.S. Senate. It was due months ago. He makes excuses about confusing paperwork. If he wants to be taken seriously, then he must set the standard on openness.