Josh Mandel, the Republican working to
unseat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, has vowed to fight gay marriage.
At a tea party rally in support of Ohio
Treasurer Mandel at the Sharonville Convention Center, Mandel
addressed a crowd of 300 for about 30 minutes, the Cincinnati
Inquirer reported.
Mandel said he is fighting Brown on the
issue of gay nuptials and will “protect the sanctity of marriage.”
“This is a fight that I will never,
ever back down,” he said.
Joining Mandel at the rally was
Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah.
Sadie Weiner, campaign manager for
Friends of Sherrod Brown, criticized Mandel's remarks.
“Josh Mandel's vow to continue
fighting against equal rights is a slap in the face to Ohio
families,” Weiner told gay weekly The
Washington Blade. “LGBT Ohioans face discrimination and
intimidation for their sexual orientation every day. Unfortunately,
Josh Mandel's position only adds fuel to the fire.”
As a member of the Ohio House, Mandel
voted against a gay workplace protections measure.
Brown, a strong advocate for gay
rights, in 2010 delivered an
impassioned speech against gay teen bullying on the Senate floor.