By Linda Martz Josh Mandel told Mansfield-area small-business owners they'll find stark contrasts between incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and himself on issues like shale energy extraction and health care. The Republican, state treasurer since January 2011, hopes to unseat the first-term incumbent Nov. 6. Extraction of oil and gas from underground shale has meant an economic bonanza for residents of Pennsylvania and some eastern Ohio counties -- and will help north central Ohio as well, Mandel told Mansfield Richland Area Chamber of Commerce members at a breakfast forum Monday. Shale extraction will create jobs for pipe fitters, electricians and local small businesses; bring down energy costs; broaden the tax base for school districts and other local government entities; and increase national security by decreasing dependence on foreign oil, Mandel said. He pointed to Lorain and Stark counties as areas benefiting from increased manufacturing business, making parts needed by the extraction industry. "I have a vision for Richland County of leveraging on the great tradition of manufacturing here, of building new manufacturing, based on oil and gas," he said. "I believe they (shale oil and gas) are assets. He (Brown) seems to believe they are liabilities. "I look forward to working across party lines to create an environment for responsible gas and oil exploration in Ohio." Mandel positioned himself as a fiscal conservative who would preserve Social Security and Medicaid for baby boomers and older Americans by making cuts elsewhere in federal government. That would include inefficient agencies with mandates never found in the Constitution, he said. The federal government "does not have a good track record in running businesses," he told listeners -- citing the U.S. Postal Service, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Amtrak as examples. "Why are we in Richland County and Ohio subsidizing folks being able to go to work in Massachusetts and Delaware and New York?" he said of Amtrak. "If it was a good enough train system, if would probably stand up in the free market. It wouldn't need bolstering." Mandel said he fully supports the military's C-27 cargo jet program, which has created jobs for Richland County, but would look at major cuts elsewhere in the defense budget, running afoul of some Republicans who want no military cuts at all. "Look at all of the bases overseas ... We need to have a conversation about trimming down and even shutting down all those bases in Germany and Italy and other (European) countries," he said. "Our enemy is no longer the Nazis. If we could identify one, it's probably radical Islam." Mandel advocated a simplified federal tax system with a lower rate of taxation but a broader base of payment -- including elimination of "carve-outs" which allow many corporations like GE to escape paying taxes altogether. "A lot of Republicans will shoot arrows at me when I say that," he told chamber members. The Republican advocated repealing almost all of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, calling it a government takeover of health care. "It is a good idea to allow kids to stay on their parents' health care plans until age 26, and to make sure Americans with pre-existing medical conditions have access to coverage," Mandel said. The rest of health care reform is "an economic mess and a boondoggle," he said. Mandel said he went from being 17 points behind Brown, to neck and neck with the incumbent in a recently released Rasmussen poll which shows each man tied at 44 percent.

By Wayne Gates Ohio State Treasurer and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel visited Brown, Adams and Scioto counties on July 5. He met with supporters at the Country Inn in Georgetown and at the Wayside Inn in West Union. He then attended a meeting on the prescription drug problem in Portsmouth. Mandel was joined in Brown and Adams county by State Rep. Danny Bubp. "Josh Mandel is a real American hero. Josh and I served in Iraq together. He did two tours as a Combat Infantryman in the United States Marine Corps. He is the real deal. I have so much admiration for that young man and I am working hard to see that he is elected as the next Senator from the state of Ohio", Bubp said in West Union. Following his remarks to supporters at the Wayside nn, Mandel sat for an exclusive interview with The Brown County Press. "I've never lived in Washington, I've never worked in Washington and I want to go there to change it", said Mandel when asked about how he contrasted to Democrat Incumbent Sherrod Brown. "Sherrod Brown has been in politics since the Nixon Administration and he's part of the problem in Washington." He added that Brown's voting record was out of step with the values of Brown and Adams county. When asked about legislative priorities, Mandel replied "My main focus will be jobs, jobs and jobs. I think leaders on the local state and national level need to be focused on economic development." Mandel said part of that strategy would be creating a better regulatory and tax environment for farmers, manufacturers and small business owners. Mandel then turned toward the national debt. "We are trillions of dollars in debt right now", Mandel said. "If Ohio families have to live within a balanced budget, and small business need to balance their budgets, our leaders in Washington should have to do the same thing." Mandel noted that it has been three years since a budget had been passed in the U.S. Senate, which is controlled by Democrats. Mandel then said he was prepared to make difficult decisions regarding in entitlement spending. "I'm going to do everything I can to protect Social Security and Medicare, but at same time I'm going to a fiscal conservative and reflect the fiscal conservative values of the state of Ohio." When asked what he wanted voters to know about Josh Mandel, he replied "That I'm going to change Washington. I have the backbone of a Marine who has done two tours in Iraq, I am the grandson of blue collar workers who appreciated hard work and I'm not going to be pushed around by political bosses of either party. My bosses will be the people of the state of Ohio."

By Joe Klein I have seen approximately 263,547 candidates perform in public during my eons as a political reporter. You can tell the good ones immediately. They're not all the same--but each of the stars has a quality that just jumps out and grabs an audience. I saw four Ohio candidates over the past 24 hours--one running for State Rep, one for Congress and the two candidates for U.S. Senate. Two were very good, one was a maybe, the fourth didn't connect at all. I started at a UAW local 1037 pancake breakfast in the town of Heath, Ohio. The local represents the workers at Meritor, which makes truck axles. Nearly 3,000 people worked in the plant at its peak, in the 1960s. About 260 work there now--but 16 laid-off workers were called back recently, which is the sort of mildly encouraging jobs report I've been picking up all over Ohio. The first candidate to speak to the union's executive board was Jim Reese, a lawyer running for Congress as a Democrat in a Republican district. He had some very good ideas, but he just wasn't connecting--he was trying too hard. "How many of you are gearheads?" The union leaders seemed puzzled. "How many of you watch Top Gear?" No acknowledgment. Reese had something of a cultural mountain to climb--he was born in Detroit, not locally. He was an African-American in a largely white district. He was a lawyer speaking to people who worked with their hands. Democratic congressional candidate Jim Reese speaks to auto workers at a union hall in Heath, Ohio, during Joe Klein's annual road trip on Thursday, June 14, 2012.The workers were angry about jobs going overseas, about the way Republicans were trying to bust the public employees unions. Reese had some specific ideas about how to bring jobs back: eliminating the tax deduction for transportation costs for American companies who move their products from foreign countries to the American market--but keeping it for products that are made here. The workers seemed to appreciate his ideas, but they couldn't connect on the most visceral level with him until he started talking about his mom, who sacrificed to put him through private school. "I remember doing homework by candlelight because she couldn't pay the utility bills," he said. It was a nice moment, but the air in the room seemed flat and still. Reese's problem became obvious when Brady Jones, the local Democratic candidate for state rep stood up and started to talk. He was a big, handsome guy, a union welder wearing a white knit shirt, jeans and steel-toed boots. He was all energy and fury. "I'm tired of politicians who get in office and forget who they are. I've been a member of the pipefitter's union for 17 years and if I get elected, that's who I'll be. We've got to get our voice back."--notice the "we" rather than "you"--"I'm sick and tired of those clowns telling us we make too much money, that our pensions are too big. We're falling behind. We're not even considered middle-class anymore." Brady Jones, Democratic candidate for Ohio state representative, speaks to auto workers at a union hall in Heath, Ohio, during Joe Klein's annual road trip on Thursday, June 14, 2012.Jones said he was working hard, knocking on doors in neighborhoods that were considered Republican. "I tell those people that it's not about Democrat or Republican. It's about getting our middle class voice back. We have to stand up and say we've had enough." Reese had been more specific; in fact, Jones wasn't specific at all--but he was an entirely compelling, charismatic presence. The union guys were with him all the way. I don't know if he has a chance of beating his Republican opponent, but I suspect he'll make it one hell of a fight. From Heath, we drove to Columbus and visited with Josh Mandel, the state treasurer and a veteran of two tough tours in Iraq with the Marines. As soon as I saw him, I asked how old he was. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I'm 34 but I look 19." Mandel was scheduled to speak at a training session for Republican candidates for the state legislature. His presentation ranked somewhere between Jim Reese and Brady Jones. He seemed smart and decent, but somewhere way on the down side of charismatic. He had the same formula for success as Brady Jones did, though: "When I first ran for state legislature in a predominantly Democratic district, everyone told me it was impossible. The business community wouldn't back me because they thought it was a waste of money. But here's what we did: I knocked on 19,679 doors and talked to people. The best way to win support is to look them eyeball to eyeball on their doorstep and get invited inside, if you can." Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel listens to staff at an AMVETS veterans' career center in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, June 14, 2012.He said that he thought there was one big issue that might win over blue-collar democrats--the looming oil and gas boom in the eastern part of the state, which was going to provide lots of jobs and revenue. He said his opponent, the incumbent Sherrod Brown, had opposed drilling on public lands. He also said Brown was getting all sorts of money for TV ads from special interests. "He got $500,000 from SEIU [the service employees international union]." Mandel was smart and attractive, but very low key. He might well develop into a fine politician over time, and I certainly think that combat vets like Mandel bring a terrific can-do toolset to public service, but the idea of him running for Senate seemed a reach at this point of his life--a fact that became very apparent when I caught up with Sherrod Brown this morning in Columbus. Brown is, whether you like his old-fashioned liberalism or not, a terrific stand-up politician. I saw him work a room of retirees at a senior center and he seemed entirely at ease, truly interested in what they had to say. When we sat down to talk, he swatted away Mandel's arguments against him with elegant nonchalance. Yes, he had opposed oil and gas drilling in Athens, Ohio, because the entire city council and local Chamber of Commerce had urged him to do so: there was a reservoir nearby that might be endangered. He then rattled through programs he had and supported to get the drilling started, and to make sure that the "jobs go to Ohioans, not to folks coming up from Texas and the Gulf." As for the claim that Democratic special interests were throwing a lot of money into the race: "We've received $1.5 million. Mandel has received $8.3 million from Republican Super PACs," he said. "If he didn't have that $8 million, this wouldn't be much of a race." In fact, Brown was confident that both he and Obama would win Ohio in November. "Romney doesn't connect with people here and the unemployment rate is 3 percentage points lower than it was 3 years ago." The auto bailout made all the difference and Brown proceeded to sing the praises of the Chevy Cruze, which is made at Lordstown--where the factory, which was nearly idle three years ago is now working triple shifts. "It's an Ohio car!" Brown said, in his gravelly, unpretentious voice. "Assembled in Lordstown. The engine is made in Defiance. Transmission in Toledo. Steel in Toledo. Aluminum in Cleveland." He went all the way to the seat covers and sound system--all made in Ohio. "Then you've got the Jeep Wrangler and Liberty being assembled in Toledo--with 75% domestic sourced parts." (I wouldn't be surprised to see an "Ohio Car" ad emanating from either Brown or Obama campaigns in the weeks to come.) When he and the President made this argument, he believed, the white working-class men who were drifting toward the Republicans would come home. "That's where Obama wins the race and that's where I win the race." He didn't sound worried at all.