Report Last Week Found Mandel To Be Spending Taxpayer Dollars On Mass Mailings To Boost Name ID For His Senate Run

COLUMBUS, OH – A complaint with the Federal Elections Commission has been filed today by the Ohio Democratic Party after more evidence shows that GOP Senate candidate Josh Mandel is abusing the Treasurer’s office for campaign purposes. The complaint, which comes on the heels of a new report that found the newly-elected State Treasurer to be spending taxpayer dollars for political purposes centers around Mandel’s acceptance of an illegal donation from the state of Ohio, as well as his campaign’s illegal transfer of assets from his campaign for Treasurer.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COMPLAINT

· Mandel has used Ohioans hard-earned tax dollars for his campaign by using identical materials and language he sent out from the Treasurer's office in campaign correspondence.

· Mandel has transferred his state campaign website to a federal website, at apparently no cost.

· Mandel emailed his state campaign list from his federal campaign, apparently without purchasing the list for his federal campaign.

Take a look at the following text which can be found on Josh Mandel’s official Treasurer website: With the Legislature in full swing and the Governor having announced his budget proposal, my office is deeply involved with the restoration of fiscal responsibility and business-friendly policies to our state. Most importantly though, we continue to run a disciplined and financially sound Treasurer’s office, and I thought you might enjoy an update on some of the many activities in my office…

Now take a look at the exact same text from his campaign website: “With the Legislature in full swing and the Governor having announced his budget proposal, my office is deeply involved with the restoration of fiscal responsibility and business-friendly policies to our state. Most importantly though, we continue to run a disciplined and financially sound Treasurer’s office, and I thought you might enjoy another update on some of the many activities in my office…”

***Click here to view the full complaint

(Complaint and additional research available as an attachment upon request)

This latest example of Josh Mandel believing the rules don’t apply to him comes as his struggling candidacy finds itself trailing badly in polls for the GOP nomination. This is likely the reason that after months of avoiding the issue and dodging questions, Mandel was forced to move to the right and announce his support of Senate Bill 5.

Just last week the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Treasurer Mandel is currently “spending public dollars” to boost his name recognition for a Senate run in the form of a personal congratulatory letter (that features his name THREE times) to college students across the state. Mandel was sworn in as Treasurer 143 days ago after promising to serve a full-four year term in office. Just 87 days into office, he filed a statement of candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

“Josh Mandel is clearly willing to do anything to further his carefully nurtured political ambition," said Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Justin Barasky. “Josh’s willingness to spend the hard-earned tax dollars of working families in Ohio on campaign materials and staff demonstrate an arrogant belief that the rules don’t apply to him.”