Republican Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel shouted at Democratic rival Morgan Harper during an abortion rally last year in Ohio. “Baby killer!” he said.
Now, the two have agreed to face off in a debate Thursday night, even as they have their respective primary contests to focus on, and the unusual contest comes as Harper claims Rep. Tim Ryan, her leading Democratic opponent, has refused to debate her.
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“I would say she was more classy than I was,” Mandel told the Washington Examiner of the abortion-related exchange he had with Harper. “Tim Ryan, who is the Pelosi lapdog congressman who’s also running for Senate on the Democrat side, he’s a marshmallow-handed wimp who’s afraid to debate Morgan Harper, and I think we all know that if Morgan Harper was a white male, Tim Ryan would’ve already agreed to debate her. But because she’s a black female, he’s treating her like a second-class citizen and disrespecting her just like the Democrat Party does to black people throughout America.”
A spokesperson for Ryan did not comment on Mandel’s remarks. Harper told the Washington Examiner she can’t speak to Ryan’s motivations, but she expressed frustration that the representative has not taken up her offers for a debate.
There have already been several debates held on the Republican side of the race. The debate between Harper and Mandel will be live-streamed on Matter News at 7 p.m. Thursday. It will be moderated by Cassie Young from Matter News and Dan Wolvin from Awake America Ohio. Each moderator is intended to represent different ends of the political spectrum.
“I have been, since launching the campaign, requesting that both the state Democratic Party and my opponent in the Democratic primary host debates. We need to be out there, getting our message out, telling people why they should be supporting us come November,” Harper told the Washington Examiner.
Mandel served as treasurer of Ohio from 2011 to 2019 and ran two unsuccessful campaigns against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2012 and in 2018. Harper is a lawyer and community leader. She ran for Congress in the 3rd District in 2020 but lost her primary election to Rep. Joyce Beatty.
The current race is for the seat held by Sen. Rob Portman, who announced last year he would not seek reelection.
Both Harper and Mandel come from dramatically different ends of the political spectrum. Harper is running to the left of Ryan in the Democratic primary, pushing policies such as “Medicare for All” and the Green New Deal. Mandel, by contrast, has made a name for himself for his staunch support of former President Donald Trump and the “America First” agenda. Mandel told the Washington Examiner that he disagrees with Harper on basically everything except Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency that Harper suggested could provide good competition for U.S. banks.
He initiated the debate offer during their encounter at the abortion rally. After deliberation, Harper decided to accept. Harper has accused Mandel of peddling conspiracy theories, including about the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill. Mandel previously suggested the events of Jan. 6, 2021, may have come from “organized operations.” Harper said the debate will be an opportunity for her to clear the air and present her ideas to the people of Ohio.
“The radical Republican Party and conservative movement have elevated and platformed Josh Mandel. I’m trying to stop him and serve the people of this state and solve actual problems,” she said. “Looking at Josh Mandel’s website, there just really aren’t many policies or ideas. He’s just really about sloganeering and peddling conspiracy theories, and so, I would say we don’t have really anything in common.”
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Mandel said he is confident in his race and believes that he will become the Republican nominee for the Ohio Senate seat. He is facing a crowded field of contestants but has led some of the recent polling. Harper, by contrast, is widely considered to be the underdog in her race. The primary will take place on May 3. A spokeswoman for Ryan’s campaign, Izzi Levy, told the Washington Examiner that he is fighting to ensure Mandel does not win the Senate seat.
“It doesn’t matter whether Josh Mandel is standing in a cornfield calling for armed insurrection or showcasing his out-of-touch anti-worker agenda on the debate stage. He’s wrong for Ohio and doesn’t belong anywhere near the U.S. Senate,” Levy told the Washington Examiner.
