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The two leading candidates in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate in Ohio engaged in a tense exchange during a Friday evening debate and eventually had to be physically separated before it might have come to blows in a moment that went viral quickly online.
Reports noted that the confrontation occurred between Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel and Mike Gibbons, a businessman, at a primary debate that was put on by FreedomWorks, a conservative non-profit group.
Natalie Allison of Politico posted a video of the exchange to her Twitter account.
The Daily Wire notes:
The row between the two candidates arose over an argument about Gibbons’ alleged business dealings in China. About half an hour into the debate, Mandel called out Gibbons for his alleged role in offshoring Ohio jobs to China. Mandel claimed that Gibbons sold a company called “Perfect Fit” to a Chinese company called Shanghai Shenda. He also claimed that Gibbons owned stock in “Chinese Petro.”
Gibbons responded to Mandel’s claims, saying that he did not know where the claim about “Perfect Fit” came from because he was not aware of the deal, and that he wasn’t sure what “Chinese Petro [had] to do with anything.” Mandel interjected, claiming that Gibbons had filed with the FEC, and “made millions off it.” Gibbons fired back that he did not personally buy the stock, and did not make millions off his investment.
Mandel continued to press Gibbons on his alleged Chinese dealings. Gibbons attempted to respond, but Mandel abruptly stood up and approached Gibbons.
“You’ve never been in the private sector in your entire life … you don’t know squat,” Gibbons claimed as Mandel stood over him face-to-face.
“I’ve worked, sir,” Mandel fired back as he got in Gibbons’ face and began to point at him. “Two tours in Iraq; don’t tell me I haven’t worked.”
As the two men stood toe-to-toe, Brandon Boxer, the debate’s moderator, stepped in to separate the two men as fellow GOP primary candidates J.D. Vance, Matt Dolan, and Jane Timken awkwardly looked on. However, Gibbons continued to verbally jab at Mandel, who stood up again and then stepped back into Gibbons’ face.
“Back off, buddy, or you’re going to end up…” Gibbons said.
“You back off,” Mandel demanded.
“Never that’ll happen, never,” Gibbons laughed.
“Watch,” Mandel responded.
Gibbons then pressed Mandel further: “You’re dealing with the wrong dude,” he said.
“You’re dealing with the wrong [guy],” Mandel fired back. “You watch what happens.”
Towards the end of the exchange, one of the men called the other a “p**sy,” and while both candidates denied it later, the video posted by Allison appears to indicate that it was Gibbons who uttered the insult.
“Reminder that these are the two frontrunners in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary,” Allison wrote as she posted videos of the exchange.
WATCH:
This is not an episode of Jerry Springer. It’s tonight’s Ohio Republican Senate debate.
“You’re dealing with the wrong guy,” Mandel says to Gibbons before calling him a “pussy.” pic.twitter.com/AbbyQpwXvu
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) March 18, 2022
Both Gibbons and Mandel campaigns say it wasn’t their guy who called the other “pussy” over the mic. Here’s a clearer video, where it looks like it could be Gibbons. A couple people in the room last night said it was Mandel. A real whodunit of the 2022 midterms. pic.twitter.com/D2usfDqoXe
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) March 19, 2022
Boxer finally managed to separate the two men, as Vance also urged them both to sit down. Vance, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps like Mandel, condemned him for the “disgraceful” way he invoked his military service during the exchange.
“Gibbons and Mandel are the front-runners in the race to fill the seat of retiring incumbent Senator Rob Portman. The RealClearPolitics average shows Gibbons with a slight lead over Mandel, 20.0% to 18.7%,” The Daily Wire reported.
“Vance stands in 3rd place with 11.0%, while Timken is in 4th with 8.3% and Dolan is in 5th with 7.7%. A straw poll after the debate showed that attendees supported Vance by a substantial margin, while Timken came in second, Gibbons in third, Dolan in fourth, and Mandel in last place.”
