Ohio treasurer balances state job, politics

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

During his first year as state treasurer, Ohio Republican Josh Mandel has been a man between two worlds, balancing duties of his first statewide office with a fledgling U.S. Senate campaign.

Mandel has aggressively worked the fundraising and speaking circuit these past months, amassing more than $3.8 million this year in his Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. That’s perhaps more than any other Senate challenger in the country.

At the same time, his weekly calendars as state treasurer are almost devoid of appointments outside of staff meetings and speaking engagements. And he’s yet to hold a single news conference to discuss the work he’s doing for Ohioans.

Mandel, a two-tour U.S. Marine veteran who married into a well- connected Cleveland family, has emerged as one of the most ambitious young politicians in a closely divided battleground state.

Campaign filings reviewed by The Associated Press show Mandel’s first post-inaugural campaign flight of the year may have come as early as Feb. 7, less than a month after he took office. A spokesman for his campaign declined to say who on the campaign staff took a flight logged on that date, one of several during the early months Mandel was in office.

“During the first quarter of 2011, we tried to err on the side of caution and use campaign funds rather than taxpayer funds to pay for travel that may include both political and nonpolitical discussions,” said spokesman Joe Aquilino.

Known locations of Mandel’s Senate fundraising destinations include Washington, D.C.; New York; San Francisco; Chicago and Hawaii.