Josh Mandel, the Ohio state treasurer who is challenging Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, touts an award in a new ad from a group that is largely untraceable — and Ohio Democrats are calling him out.
“Josh Mandel is so desperate to distract voters” from his record in office, “that he’s laughably touting a meaningless award, which he accepted from a practically defunct right-wing interest group before he was even the treasurer, and hoping no one notices,” Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Andrew Zucker said in a release.
The ad notes Mandel was named a “Watchdog of the Treasury” by United Conservatives of Ohio. The award, which he received in 2007 — before becoming state treasurer — is also mentioned in his biography on the Treasury’s website.
UCO is an illusive group without an obvious web presence, and appears to exist only to dole out awards to conservatives. In 2010, a right-wing blogger tried to figure out what the group did and failed.
Watch the ad:
