A debate between candidates running for Ohio’s open Senate seat descended into chaos on Monday night as Republican Josh Mandel shared a testy exchange with an audience member over his past comments calling Black Lives Matter activists ‘thugs.’

Mandel, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2012 and 2018, faced off against Democrat attorney Morgan Harper in their second debate at City-God Baptist Fellowship in Cleveland.

It was a heated hour-long head-to-head during which Mandel also called Harper ‘like AOC only dumber.’ 

Roughly 20 minutes into the event Mandel was being grilled about his calling BLM protesters ‘thugs’ in their first debate when an audience member made a loud noise of agreement.

‘And you ain’t coming in the black community. Put ’em out,’ the female voice can be heard saying. 

The moderator, who is black, immediately attempted to de-escalate the situation.

‘Hey hey, we’re not doing that. Please,’ he said.

Speaking over his objections, Mandel confronted the audience member directly: ‘You mean like put him out, like, with a, with a bullet? What do you mean put him out? What do you mean put him out?’

Mandel, the former Ohio state treasurer, faced off with a heckler at his Monday night debate

He also took a personal swing at his opponent, Democrat Morgan Harper (right), calling her ‘AOC only dumber’

The moderator fruitlessly called the candidate’s name.

‘Ask him to leave,’ the woman in the audience continued. ‘You don’t belong in the black community.’

Mandel shot back, ‘I thought this was America where we debate freely.’

Addressing the irate voter, the moderator said, ‘Hey, sister, listen to me, don’t do that.’

He then declined the white co-moderator’s efforts to intervene.

‘I got this. I got this. Look, don’t do that. Don’t — this is America, he can be here. Don’t do that. Don’t embarrass me,’ he said as the woman muttered under her breath, ‘They shouldn’t have let him in here.’ 

She countered, ‘I’m not embarrassing you. But to bring that white man into the black community like that –‘ 

‘– I’m, I’m finished. But don’t you suck up to him. He’s in the black community. He’s calling my parents thugs. Make him answer the question.’

Mandel, who had been watching the protesting voter with a smile, jumped back into the fray to address her.

Speaking over the moderator’s continued objections, he said: ‘Let me tell you something ma’am. I put my life in the hands of young black guys. I had young black men put their life in my hands in the United States Marine Corps in two tours in Iraq, so don’t stand there and lecture me.’ 

Mandel (left) and Harper (right), a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau adviser, are in a crowded race to replace retiring Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman

‘Those were my brothers, whether they were black or they were white or they were Hispanic or they were Asian.’

He pushed ahead, ‘Don’t stand there and lecture me about race and color. We put our lives in each others hands. Those were my brothers.’

‘Mr. Mandel, I’m the moderator over here I’m asking you to pay attention to me. And ma’am…will you please stop,’ the moderator finally broke through.

Finally getting to the question, he asked Mandel whether he considered Donald Trump’s supporters who were arrested for storming the Capitol on January 6 last year as ‘thugs’ as well.

Mandel dodged the question, instead disputing the moderator’s characterization of the rioters as ‘insurrectionists’ and pivoted to criticizing progressive groups like BLM. 

‘Listen I think the word “insurrection” is completely inaccurate for what happened that day. I do think there were some people who committed crimes and obviously they’re working their way through the justice system,’ he said.

‘But at the end of the day, what violates my sensibilities over the past year or two in respect to behavior in that regard that you’re describing, is organizations like Black Lives Matter that burned down police stations in places like Minneapolis.’

At another point during the debate Mandel took a personal jab at his Democratic opponent when Harper accused him of being backed by ‘big insurance companies and big pharma’ and championed Medicare-for-all.

Mandel avoided saying whether he would also compare Capitol rioters to ‘thugs’ as he did with BLM protesters, instead stating: ‘What violates my sensibilities over the past year or two in respect to behavior in that regard that you’re describing, is organizations like Black Lives Matter that burned down police stations in places like Minneapolis’

‘I told the story earlier about being at a town hall, the bar and restaurant down the street, where I told folks, “I’m going to date Morgan Harper. She’s like AOC only smarter.” After hearing that answer I actually think she’s like AOC only dumber,’ Mandel said as muted gasps could be heard from the audience.

At the end of the debate Harper could be seen declining Mandel’s offer for a handshake.

Voters in the Buckeye State are looking at a crowded race to replace retiring Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman, whose term ends at the end of the year.

Harper, a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau adviser, is running in the Democratic primary up against House Rep. Tim Ryan, an early 2020 presidential contender. Tech executive and Democrat activist Traci Johnson is also in the race.

Mandel, who previously served as Ohio’s state treasurer, is running in a crowded GOP primary up against a number of other high-profile candidates including Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken.

TImken clinched Portman’s endorsement earlier this month, with several other Republicans on Capitol Hill throwing her their support as well.

Mandel is backed by Trump’s controversial former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, as well as Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.

Trump himself has yet to weigh in on the race, though he has already waded into Ohio’s midterms with an endorsement of his former aide Max Miller in the state’s 13th Congressional District.

A Republican primary poll published by a local NBC affiliate last week shows Mandel in the lead with 21 percent of the vote.

Businessman Mike Gibbons trails behind with 16.4 percent of support, and Vance at a close third with 14.3 percent. 

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