YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Josh Mandel is a former Ohio Treasurer who was previously defeated in a bid for the Senate against Sherrod Brown in 2012 by a margin of 50.3 percent to Mandel's 45.1 percent. He dropped out of a second Senate bid in 2018.

Mandel's campaign is primarily marked by his far-right rhetoric, calling the French "sissies," claiming Dr. Anthony Fauci is an agent of the Chinese Communist party and repeatedly echoing former President Donald Trump's false claims  regarding the 2020 election being stolen, claims which have been repeatedly debunked by a bipartisan mix of judges, election officials, secretaries of state and Trump's own Justice Department. Mandel offers no new evidence, but has claimed that not only was there widespread fraud in states President Joe Biden won, but also that Trump won Ohio by an even larger margin.

Describing himself as a "proud right-winger," Mandel takes a hard-line stance against bipartisanship, using his Twitter feed to argue against any and all coronavirus restrictions, to oppose refugees coming into the United States, and to target any Republican he feels isn't sufficiently loyal to former President Donald Trump, particularly any who supported either of his two impeachments. Calling himself a "fighter," Mandel takes equal aim at Ohio's Republican Governor, longtime conservative Republican Mike DeWine, setting up a potentially interesting showdown in 2022, with Mandel's supporters unlikely to support the governor, which could damage DeWine.

Mandel's key issues, according to his web site, include support for Donald Trump, opposition to abortion, expanded gun rights and eliminating the separation of church and state in favor of a governmnent based on religious ideals.

An early front-runner in the race, Mandel has seen his support begin to slip, showing up behind Cleveland-area investment banker Mike Gibbons in more than one recent poll.