As a politician Josh Mandel has always been a tireless campaigner from his door knocking days crisscrossing his Cuyahoga County district as a state representative to his runs for Ohio treasurer and the U.S. Senate.
Those were all races that contributed to the education of the man that he looks to apply to his 2018 bid for a U.S. Senate rematch with incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown. Something else he'll be drawing on is the success shown by Republican President Donald Trump in carrying the state in 2016 by a better than 8 percent margin.
Appearing in Cleveland this week to accept the General Election endorsement of the Cleveland Police Patrolman's Association Mandel also sounded the very familiar attacks mounted by President Trump against the media.
"Shame on radical liberals in the media," Mandel said multiple times during his appearance adding "I'm the type of leader who will take on forces in the media."
That Mandel would take a page out of the Trump playbook in Ohio is understandable when you consider the results of the 2012 races in Ohio when Mitt Romney lost to Barack Obama in the state by two percent and Mandel lost to Brown by just five percent. Should Mandel be able to reach and rally all but three percent of Trump's 2016 base in the state he'd likely be looking at a win.
Mandel was endorsed by the Rev 18 Super Pac that is looking for U.S. Senate challengers who will oust Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader. Mandel's primary opponent Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons launched a petition drive Tuesday calling on McConnell to retire and called on Mandel to take a stand, so far though he has not.
"We're here to talk about an election where every person in the state of Ohio can vote," Mandel said "I think your question is about an election where no one in the state of Ohio can vote, an election that happens a year and a half from now."
When reminded that he had a primary challenger and that Republican voters might want to know where he stands he said "this election is about Sherrod Brown, right now we're running against Sherrod Brown."
