Scumbag Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (R. OH) has been racking up the clown car of GOP endorsements in his second attempt to try and unseat true Progressive Populist, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D. OH):
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday endorsed Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel for senate, making him the fourth Republican U.S. senator to do so this election cycle.
"We need a conservative leader like Josh Mandel in the U.S. Senate," Cruz, the 2016 failed presidential candidate, said in a written statement. "When I first met Josh five years ago, I was immediately impressed by his dedication and passion for advancing conservative principles. He has shown his willingness to stand up and fight for those values, leading the charge in Ohio to stop sanctuary cities, crack down on illegal immigration and put an end to Common Core. I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with him in the Senate and encourage all Republicans to do the same."
The endorsement from Cruz, among the most prominent figures in the national conservative movement, is another boost for Mandel as he seeks to further consolidate his grip on the the GOP Senate nomination in Ohio nearly a year before the 2018 primary election. Mandel also has landed endorsements from Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Sen. Marco Rubio, and last week, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
But there’s one key Republican endorsement that Mandel may not get and it could hurt his chances:
In a national podcast released Tuesday, Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich indicated he may not endorse GOP Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel's bid for the U.S. Senate if Mandel turns out to be a "negative guy."
But Mandel, who is seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2018, doesn't seem to be losing any sleep over Kasich's possible endorsement, judging from a Mandel spokesman's response to Kasich's comments, made on Politico's "Off Message" podcast.
"It's no secret that Josh Mandel supported Donald Trump during the campaign, stuck with him in the rocky times, and continues to support him as President," the spokesman, Chris Berry, said in a Wednesday email to cleveland.com. "We understand that Josh's support for President Trump may upset Governor Kasich, and we respect his decision whenever the time is right for him. Either way, Josh is the hardened, unabashed conservative and Marine vet, ready to win a primary and ready to beat Sherrod Brown."
In his new book and during a promotional tour, Kasich, an unsuccessful 2016 presidential candidate, has criticized Trump's political approach as harmful, fact-challenged and divisive. When asked on the podcast for his thoughts about politicians like Mandel, who since the November election has adopted some of Trump's methods as his own, Kaisch cut off interviewer Edward-Isaac Dovere mid-question.
"Any politician who is going to be in the dividing business, I'm not helping," Kasich said. Pressed further if he would help Mandel, the only declared candidate in the race, he continued, "Well, I don't know what he's going to be saying. But if he's a negative guy, if he's a divider, I won't."
However, Mandel hasn’t convinced all the party leaders he’s the guy to unseat Brown:
Some Republican activists and donors worried about the prospects of their party’s Senate candidate in Ohio are kicking around an outside-the-box alternative: Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance.
The recruiting overtures reflect unease with the early GOP frontrunner, state Treasurer Josh Mandel, who is seeking a rematch with Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.
Four sources with knowledge of the private encouragement confirmed the conversations to BuzzFeed News. They requested anonymity to speak freely about what could become another intra-party fight in a battleground state where Republicans are divided between those who embraced Donald Trump’s winning presidential campaign and those who didn’t.
“The donors are kind of wishy-washy on Josh,” said one top Republican activist who has discussed a draft Vance scenario with party insiders. “So enter J.D. Vance.”
Whatever happens on the GOP side, we have to be ready. Brown is a great progressive ally and a true populist and we need to keep him the U.S. Senate. Click here to donate and get involved with Brown’s re-election campaign.