Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel jumps into Senate race

Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (R) jumped into the Senate race to replace outgoing Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) Wednesday.

The announcement from Mandel, who served two terms in the Ohio state government and two tours as a Marine in Iraq, marks the third time he will run for the Senate. Mandel cast himself as a candidate in former President Trump’s mold and stated he was motivated to run for the upper chamber in part due to the ongoing impeachment trial against the former president.

“Watching this sham and unconstitutional impeachment has made my blood boil and motivated me to run for U.S. Senate. It’s sickening to see radical liberals and fake Republicans in Washington engage in this second assault on President Donald Trump and the millions of us who supported him,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

“I’m going to Washington to fight for President Trump’s America First Agenda and to pulverize the Uniparty – that cabal of Democrats and Republicans who sound the same, stand for nothing and are more interested in cocktail party invites than defending the Constitution,” he added.

Mandel’s campaign emphasized his pro-Trump bona fides by noting in the announcement that he was the first statewide official in Ohio to back Trump’s 2016 White House bid and that he raised $500,000 for him in 2020.

His campaign said Mandel is a conservative “fighter” and will build on the “momentum” of the previous administration. 

“Today, I’ve heard loud and clear from my fellow Ohioans that we need a warrior that won’t quiver in their boots when it comes to standing up for conservative values,” he said. “We need a fighter in the Senate who will fight to build the wall, combat China’s economic cheating and advance conservative policies that gave us the greatest economy in American history. We need to keep our foot on the gas and build off the momentum of the Trump presidency.” 

Mandel first ran for the Senate in 2012, losing to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) by 6 points. He ran against Brown again in 2018 but cut his campaign short after his then-wife experienced unspecified health issues.

The race to replace Portman is expected to attract several candidates from both parties. Among the Republicans mulling runs are former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken and Reps. Bill Johnson, Brad Wenstrup, Steve Stivers and Mike Turner. Reps. Tim Ryan and Joyce Beatty, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and former state health director Amy Acton are potential candidates for the Democrats. 

Ohio, historically a battleground state, has trended hard toward Republicans in recent years. While former President Obama won the state twice, Ohio then flipped for Trump by wide margins in 2016 and 2020. Brown is the only Democrat to currently hold statewide office there.