This article presents an unbiased comparison of the political positions and policies of Josh Mandel and Sherrod Brown, candidates for the 2012 Senate Elections in Ohio.
Sherrod Brown, a member of the Democratic party and the incumbent, beat Josh Mandel to win re-election to a second term.
Josh Mandel was then current Ohio state treasurer and the Republican nominee for the 2012 Ohio Senate elections. Prior to joining politics, he served in the Marine Corps for 8 years where he was awarded the achievement medal for "superior performance of his duties" on two occasions.
Comparison chart
 | Josh Mandel | Sherrod Brown |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Political Party | Republican | Democrat |
| Hometown | Cleveland, Ohio | Mansfield, Ohio |
| Date of birth | September 27th 1977 | November 9th 1952 |
| Religion | Judaism | Lutheran |
| Budget | Supports Balanced Budget Amendment | Supports a five year spending freeze and a Balanced Budget Amendment. |
| Tax Policy | Supports a simplified tax code with one or two tax brackets | Supports raising taxes for those earning over $1 million |
| Social Security | No clear stance | Opposes cuts |
| Healthcare | Opposes Obamacare | Supports health care reform |
| Medicare | No clear stance | Opposes privatization |
| Abortion | Opposes | Supports legal abortion |
| Gay Rights | Opposes gay marriage | Supports gay marriage |
| Immigration | No clear stance | Opposes comprehensive reform. Supported building a secure fence along the Mexican border. |
| Education | Supports parents’ choice in schools and wants to expand charter school | Supports additional federal funding. Opposes vouchers for private schools |
| Energy Policy | Supports energy independence and opposes irrational regulations on drilling and refining. | Supports energy independence through clean, renewable sources. |
| Iran | Considers threat to democracy | Supports economic sanctions |
| Iraq | Served two tours as a decorated United States Marine. | Opposed military intervention |
| War on Drugs | No clear stance | No clear stance |
Early Life and Career
Josh Mandel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and earned a BA in communications from the Ohio State University and a JD from Case Western Reserve University of Law. He served with the US Marine Corps Reserves for eight years and was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2006. He has been State Treasurer since 2010.
Sherrod Brown was born in Mansfield, Ohio, and gained a BA in Russian studies at Yale University in 1974. He earned both a Master of Public Administration and an MA in education from Ohio State University and taught at the university as well as serving as an Ohio State Representative between 1974 and 1982. He became Secretary of State in 1982 and was in the US House of Representatives from 1992 to 2006, when he became a U.S. Senator.
Differences in Economic Policy
Tax Policy
Josh Mandel supports a simplified tax code using only one or two brackets and eliminating most credits and exemptions. He wants to eliminate the estate tax. [1]
Sherrod Brown supports a tax increase for those earning over $1 million annually. He opposed making the Bush tax cuts permanent and voted against eliminating estate tax. [2]
Regulation
Josh Mandel supports the Balanced Budget Amendment and making the federal government responsible for its spending. [3]
Sherrod Brown supports the Balanced Budget Amendment and a five-year freeze on federal spending. [4]
Social Security
Josh Mandel has not spoken about social security.
Sherrod Brown opposes any cuts or privatization of Social Security. [5]
Healthcare Policy
Josh Mandel opposes Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act. He believes health insurance should be purchasable over state lines and that there should be more choice and competition in insurance and health care providers. [6]
Sherrod Brown supports the Affordable Care Act. He opposes any cuts to Medicare. [7]
Social Issues
Abortion
Josh Mandel opposes legal abortion. [8]
Sherrod Brown supports legal abortion. [9]
Immigration
Josh Mandel has not spoken about immigration issues.
Sherrod Brown opposes comprehensive immigration reform. He supports building a fence along the Mexican border, but he opposes reporting illegal immigrants who receive hospital treatment. [10]
Gay rights
Josh Mandel opposes gay marriage and does not want sexual orientation to be included in anti-discrimination bills. [11]
Sherrod Brown supports gay marriage and gay adoptions. [12]
Women’s Rights
Josh Mandel has not spoken about women’s rights.
Sherrod Brown wants to expand access to contraceptive services for low-income women and provide emergency contraception at hospitals for rape victims. [13]
Education Policy
Josh Mandel supports increased choice for parents when selecting schools and believes in using free market principles to improve education, including public, charter and private schools. [14]
Sherrod Brown supports increased federal funding for education. He opposed creating vouchers for private and religious schools. [15]
Energy Policy
Josh Mandel believes energy independence should be a national priority. He opposes federal barriers to drilling and refining oil and supports the Keystone Pipeline. [16]
Sherrod Brown supports energy independence through clean energy sources. He introduced the Program for Offshore Wind Energy Research and Development to encourage the development of the wind energy sector and is now spearheading a solar power initiative. [17]
Differences in Foreign Policy
Position on Iran
Josh Mandel declared Iran a threat to all democracies. [18]
Sherrod Brown supports economic sanctions against Iran until it ceases its nuclear program. [19]
Position of Iraq
Josh Mandel has not spoken about Iraq.
Sherrod Brown voted against military intervention in Iraq. [20]
Money spent on the race
The Mandel-Brown race is the most expensive in Ohio history; the candidates raised a combined total of over $25 million by July 2012.
Debates
The first debate between Sherrod Brown and Josh Mandel was held on October 15, 2012.
The final debate was held on October 25. Analysis of the debate can be found on YouTube, DailyKos, NBC News and the New Yorker.
Mandel vs Brown in Opinion Polls
Sherrod Brown has maintained a small lead over Josh Mandel in opinion polls in Ohio.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sherrod Brown (D) | Josh Mandel (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling | October 12–13, 2012 | 49% | 42% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 10, 2012 | 47% | 46% |
| NBC/WSJ/Marist Poll | October 7–9, 2012 | 52% | 41% |
| SurveyUSA | October 5–8, 2012 | 42% | 38% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 4, 2012 | 46% | 46% |
| NBC/WSJ/Marist | September 30–October 1, 2012 | 50% | 41% |
| CBS/New York Times/Quinnipiac | September 18–24, 2012 | 50% | 40% |
| Washington Post | September 19–23, 2012 | 53% | 41% |
| Gravis Marketing | September 21–22, 2012 | 44% | 43% |
| Fox News Poll | September 16–18, 2012 | 47% | 40% |
| Ohio Newspaper Organization | September 13–18, 2012 | 52% | 45% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 12, 2012 | 49% | 41% |
| NBC/WSJ/Marist Poll | September 9–11, 2012 | 49% | 42% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 7–9, 2012 | 48% | 40% |
| Gravis Marketing | September 7–8, 2012 | 47% | 42% |
| Columbus Dispatch | August 15–25, 2012 | 44% | 44% |
| Ohio Poll | August 16–21, 2012 | 48% | 47% |
| Quinnipiac | August 15–21, 2012 | 48% | 45% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 13, 2012 | 44% | 44% |
| Quinnipiac | July 24–30, 2012 | 51% | 39% |
| Magellan Strategies | July 23–24, 2012 | 45% | 38% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 18, 2012 | 46% | 42% |
| Quinnipiac | June 19–25, 2012 | 50% | 34% |
| Public Policy Polling | June 21-24, 2012 | 46% | 39% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 29, 2012 | 47% | 42% |
| NBC News/Marist | May 17–20, 2012 | 51% | 37% |
| Quinnipiac | May 2–7, 2012 | 46% | 40% |
| Public Policy Polling | May 3–6, 2012 | 45% | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 18, 2012 | 44% | 41% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 26, 2012 | 43% | 43% |
| Quinnipiac | March 20–26, 2012 | 46% | 36% |
| NBC News/Marist | February 29-March 2, 2012 | 47% | 37% |
| Quinnipiac | February 7–12, 2012 | 48% | 35% |
| Rasmussen Reports | February 8, 2012 | 44% | 40% |
| Public Policy Polling | January 28–29, 2012 | 47% | 36% |
| Quinnipiac | January 9–16, 2012 | 47% | 32% |
| Public Policy Polling | November 4–6, 2011 | 48% | 35% |
| Quinnipiac | October 17–23, 2011 | 49% | 34% |
| Public Policy Polling | October 13–16, 2011 | 48% | 40% |
| Quinnipiac | September 20–25, 2011 | 49% | 36% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 11–14, 2011 | 48% | 33% |
| Quinnipiac | July 12–18, 2011 | 49% | 34% |
| Public Policy Polling | May 19–22, 2011 | 48% | 31% |
| Quinnipiac | May 10–16, 2011 | 45% | 31% |
| Public Policy Polling | March 10–13, 2011 | 48% | 32% |
Democrat 
Romney 
Obamacare 
Liberal 
Scott Brown 
Maria Cantwell
Comments: Josh Mandel vs Sherrod Brown