Cruz endorses Mandel in Ohio’s crowded and combustible GOP Senate primary

With less than a month to go until primary day in Ohio, one of the leading candidates in the competitive and contentious Republican Senate race landed a major endorsement.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Monday endorsed Josh Mandel, a U.S. Marine combat veteran and former Ohio treasurer who’s making his third bid for the Senate.

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“As our nation faces crisis after crisis under Joe Biden, our country needs Conservative fighters to stand up to the radical Democrats who want to exploit these problems to deliver socialism to America. That’s why I am supporting Josh Mandel for U.S. Senate,” Cruz, who remains popular with many on the right across the country, wrote in a statement.

Pointing to Mandel’s two tours of duty in the war in Iraq, Cruz emphasized that “Josh is a proven fighter for our American way of life, a champion for the unborn, and a stalwart advocate for our religious liberties. I am proud to endorse Josh Mandel for U.S. Senate, and I ask every conservative in Ohio to do the same.”

Cruz becomes the third Republican in the Senate to support Mandel, following Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.

“Having Senator Cruz’s support shows that he believes I am the only candidate in this U.S. Senate race who will have the backbone and courage to stand up alongside him in Washington and take on the party bosses, left-wing media, and powerful lobbyists,” Mandel wrote in a statement. “When I get to the Senate, I look forward to serving as a reinforcement for Senator Cruz as we stand up to Joe Biden and work to defeat the far-left’s radical agenda.”    

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