JOSH CLAIMS: Sherrod has been rated the most liberal Senator and is to the left of Bernie Sanders, who is a socialist.

THE TRUTH:  Sherrod has always voted for what he feels is the right choice for Ohio’s middle class & Ohio jobs, regardless of politics.

1. Nonpartisan fact-check organizations have debunked Mandel’s claim that Sherrod is the “most liberal Senator”, with Voteview.com reporting Sherrod didn’t even make the Top 10 list of liberals in Congress in 2010. [Politifact Ohio, 7/18/11]

2. Sherrod has stood up to the President and the administration multiple times on issues he feels strongly about.

Josh Mandel’s Claim That Sen. Brown Was Voted The Most Liberal Senator Was Rated “Half True.”  In July 2011, Politifact Ohio wrote “When a Republican calls someone a liberal, it’s not meant as a compliment. Add the modifier ‘most liberal member of the U.S. Senate,’ and you’ve got red meat, especially in a middle- of-the- road state like Ohio. You’ve also got, as you may have guessed, the rap against Sherrod Brown.  Josh Mandel, the Ohio treasurer who’s been raising money to run as the Republican nominee against Brown, laid out that accusation in an interview with syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt on June 24. ‘I don’t know if you know this, but Sherrod Brown was just voted two years in a row the most liberal senator in the United States of America. Now that’s saying a lot when Bernie Sanders, who’s a socialist, is to the right of you.’” Politifact concluded, “A statement that is accurate but leaves out important details like these gets one rating on the Truth-O-Meter: Half True.” [Politifact, 7/18/11] 

Voteview.com Stated Sherrod Brown Was Less Liberal Than Bernie Sanders. In July 2011, Politifact Ohio stated, “And then there’s Voteview.com, a more comprehensive and mathematically driven evaluation compiled by political scientists across the country. Voteview examines votes on every contested bill in Congress, and since Congress works over a two-year term, Voteview ratings only come out every other year. Brown was the 11th most liberal Democrat in the two-year congressional cycle ending in 2010, based on Vote View’s assessment. Sanders came in at No. 6. Brown was the fifth most liberal in the previous Congress, representing his first two years in the Senate, while Sanders was No. 2, during that 2007-2008 period, according to Voteview.” [Politifact Ohio, 7/18/11]

The Claim That Brown Was to The Left Of Sanders Only Survives If You Count One Year And One Set Of Rankings. In July 2011, Politifact Ohio reported, “Brown tied for first place in both of those years in the National Journal ratings. The tie in the most recent year included 16 percent of the Democratic caucus. To say that Brown was voted “the most liberal senator” misses the broad sweep of lawmakers in that category. As for the claim that Brown was to the left of Sanders, the Senate’s self-described socialist, it only survives if you include one year and one set of rankings, namely, again, National Journal’s.” [Politifact Ohio, 7/18/11]