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COLUMBUS – Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern issued the following statement in response to Republican candidate for Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel's misleading claims made at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC:
"Josh Mandel is wrong about his district and wrong about his record," Redfern said. "He would be wise to not talk about property taxes, since he was one of just five members in the entire legislature to vote against reducing property taxes. And either the Republicans have no voter file, or Josh Mandel is not telling the truth about his constituents. Maybe telling the truth isn't important while speaking in front of a group that wants Ron Paul to be the next president, but it is important to the people of Ohio. Given his meager qualifications to be Ohio's Treasurer, it's no wonder he feels a need to stretch the truth about his record."
RHETORIC: Josh Mandel Said His District Is 2-To-1 Democratic. Speaking at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC, Mandel claimed, "In 2006, I decided to run for the State House of Representatives in an interesting district. The district is approximately 2-to-1 Democrat-to-Republican."
REALITY: Josh Mandel's District Is 50-50; One Of The Most Competitive State Legislative Districts In Ohio. In the 2004 presidential race, Josh Mandel's district was MOST competitive of any state legislative district in the entire state. John Kerry won the district by three-tenths of a percent – a mere 457 votes – over George Bush. President Obama edged out Sen. John McCain in 2008 in the district by a margin of 51-to-49%, hardly the 2-to-1 margin Mandel imagines. McCain actually performed BETTER percentagewise in Josh Mandel's district than he did in the state as a whole.
RHETORIC: Josh Mandel Said 50 Percent Of His District Is Represented By Dennis Kucinich In Congress. Speaking at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC, Mandel spoke about his state legislative district, claiming "about half the district is represented in Congress by Dennis Kucinich."
REALITY: Only One In Five Of Josh Mandel's Constituents Have Dennis Kucinich As Their Congressman. 20.46 percent of registered voters in Josh Mandel's district are represented by Congressman Dennis Kucinich. More of Josh Mandel's constituents have Congresswoman Marcia Fudge representing them than Dennis Kucinich. More have Congressman Steve LaTourette representing them, and more have Congresswoman Betty Sutton.
RHETORIC: Josh Mandel Bragged About Lowering Property Taxes As A City Councilman. Speaking at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC, Mandel boasted, "I introduced legislation to reduce the property taxes in our community."
REALITY: Josh Mandel Was 1 Of Only 5 Members Of The Entire Legislature To Vote Against Reducing Property Taxes. In 2008, Mandel voted against Senate Bill 306, which would expand eligibility for the homestead property tax exemption, providing tax relief to seniors and the permanently disabled. Senate Bill 306 passed the Senate 33-0 and the House 90-5.
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