Department of Unforced Errors

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It must be annoying to have a campaign ‘tracker’ following and videotaping your every move. Then again, you don’t have to run for Senate. But word to the wise. Don’t shove a tracker and then lie about it by saying he shoved you first when the guy’s friggin’ videotaping the whole thing and there’s a reporter there watching too.

Josh Mandel (R), Ohio Senate candidate and State Treasurer, was in an elevator and the tracker guy comes into the elevator with him. Then Mandel just sort of loses it for a second and seems to try to grab the kid’s camera or maybe shove him. He pretty quickly realizes this maybe isn’t a good idea — probably because the guy’s videotaping what’s happening. So he kind of walks away. There are a few tense moments in the elevator, the door opens and Mandel bolts.

It’s not a big thing. It all happens really quickly. You can see it here.

It’s a little hard to see what happens. But it looks pretty clear that Mandel started it.

The problem for Mandel is that at a press conference later in the day, he said the tracker guy “made the initial physical contact.” In other words, the tracker attacked him in some way. And if the video wasn’t enough, Mandel was in the elevator with a reporter from the Columbus Dispatch, who also said Mandel manhandled the young tracker guy.

Again, I wouldn’t make that big a thing out of the initial incident. But when you’re running for Senate it doesn’t look good to lose your composure and manhandle or push some tracker kid. Even worse to lie about it a couple hours later.

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