Sherrod Brown, Ohio Senator, Releases New Ad Attacking Josh Mandel

WASHINGTON -- Coming off a Democratic National Convention targeting some of his top issues, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) Friday morning released a new ad attacking his Republican opponent's record.

Brown's ad, called "Pants on Fire," attacks Republican Josh Mandel for claims Mandel has made about the improvement of the state's investment fund since the Republican became state treasurer and for Mandel's attendance record at meetings of the state Board of Deposit. The ad comes after PoliFact gave Mandel several "Pants on Fire" designations for campaign claims that Mandel has made against Brown.

"Josh Mandel has become the candidate of the big lie," the ad says, quoting a Aug. 19 op-ed written by a senior editor of the Columbus Dispatch.

Brown uses a 2012 citation from Standard & Poor's to say that the state investment fund has not gotten a better rating under Mandel's leadership. Mandel has touted an S&P AAA rating for the investment fund on his website as an improvement. PolitiFact reported in October 2011 that Ohio's investment fund has received a AAA rating from S&P since 1995.

Brown also cites several newspaper articles about Mandel's truthfulness.

Brown uses the ad to continue his attack on Mandel's Board of Deposit attendance record, a favorite theme from Brown's campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party. Mandel, a Tea Party favorite, missed 14 months of board meetings. Brown said Mandel spent the time attending campaign fundraisers around the country.

The ad comes after the DNC highlighted the auto bailout's impact on Ohio, a top issue in the Senate race in recent weeks. Last month, Mandel called Brown "un-American" for voting for the bailout, a charge Brown refuted. Mandel followed up on the attack by saying that Brown "should be ashamed" of voting for the bailout. Mandel had previously declined to answer questions about the bailout.