Ohio U.S. Senate candidate imitating Trump

Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel is running via the Trump playbook.

Mandel is looking to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in 2018, taking advantage of a midterm electorate that leans more Republican.

Mandel announced his bid on Wednesday in a style straight out of the Trump playbook, including with familiar slogans like “rigged system” and “drain the swamp.” He leaned heavily into Trump campaign themes of improving the middle class and decreasing the influence of lobbyists and special interests.

“Most people think Washington is broken, but really it’s just a rigged system,” Mandel said in the video. “The politicians and their cronies get rich while the middle class struggles.”

…In a Dec. 1 speech at Trump’s “thank you tour” event in Cincinnati, just days after a Somali refugee’s attack at Ohio State left 13 people injured, Mandel blasted politicians who refuse to say “radical Islam.” Similarly, Trump mocked Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail for declining to use the phrase.

Mandel, a Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Iraq, is the first declared Senate challenger of 2018. Mandel won his state treasurer position in 2010.

Mandel’s entrance in the race quickly earned met with praise from high-profile Republicans. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and conservative group FreedomWorks quickly issued endorsements. The following day, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sent out a fundraising email.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.