Money will matter in Ohio Senate race

October 20, 2012 at 4:42p.m.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, said his re-election bid would be a certainty if outside groups weren’t spending more than $23 million to defeat him.

“This wouldn’t be a race if it weren’t for the fact they’re spending more against me than any Senate race in the country, period,” Brown said.

Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, his Republican opponent, sees it differently.

“Ohio is not the most liberal state in the country, but we have a guy representing us who was named the most liberal senator in America,” according to the National Journal, Mandel said.

Brown had that distinction in 2009 and 2010, but the magazine’s latest analysis of his 2011 votes had him tied for fifth.

Also running for the seat is Scott A. Rupert as an independent. Rupert of Mechanicsburg is a self-employed truck driver.

Mandel of Lyndhurst criticizes Brown for supporting the auto bailout as well as the Affordable Care Act better known as Obamacare, the national health-care bill.

Mandel hints at not supporting the auto bailout, but won’t give a yes-or-no answer on whether he supports the $82 billion federal government rescue that auto officials say saved the industry. But Mandel is critical of the bailout saying it picked winners and losers, specifically mentioning Delphi salaried retirees who lost their health and life insurance, and had pensions cut.

He also wants to repeal the health-care bill, but favors two key points of the law: keeping those under the age of 26 on their parents’ health-care plan, if needed, and requiring health insurance companies to not deny coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.

Mandel is “already making exceptions to the bill, but you can’t remove items without unraveling it,” Brown said.

Brown of Avon said he is proud of his vote for the health-care bill, which has already seen 1.2 million seniors in Ohio get access to free preventive care and saved about $600 each on Medicare prescription costs.