Three dozen female GOP activists are urging conservative women to reject Josh Mandel for U.S. Senate after reports of a toxic culture within his campaign, according to a copy of their letter obtained by The Blade.

The letter spearheaded by Wood County Republican Bev Hirzel, vice president of the Ohio Federation of Republican Women, and signed by 36 others follows reporting from the Columbus Dispatch that at least two female staffers quit Mr. Mandel’s campaign after his finance director — who is also his girlfriend — berated subordinates and demanded 12‑hour workdays.

It’s being circulated to state central committee members and Republican county leaders Tuesday evening.

“As conservative women, we cannot trust our Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to a candidate like Josh Mandel who allows female staff to be mistreated, who is likely to embarrass our party, and who will lose this must-win election,” they wrote.

They also questioned whether Mr. Mandel is the right candidate to energize conservative women, and whether that alone might cost Republicans a seat in a 50‑50 Senate.

“Failure to successfully sell our conservative vision to strengthen America to women voters has tanked many Republican candidates in top tier races around the country,” they wrote.

The letter doesn’t mention other candidates in the race, but 10 who signed it have endorsed Jane Timken, former state party chairman, who’s building her coalition among local party leaders and activists.

The letter was spearheaded by Ms. Hirzel in her personal capacity — and not in her roles with the Ohio Federation of Republican Women or the Wood County Republican Women’s Club — and signed by conservative activists, state central committee members, and Republican club leaders.

“If Mandel cannot handle the pressure now, 17 months before the 2022 election, how can we trust him to have the resilience to stay strong through the end? If past is prologue, we know we can’t as Mandel quit the 2018 race and left the Republican Party in a lurch,” they wrote, referring to how Mr. Mandel dropped out last cycle because of his then‑wife’s undisclosed health issue.

Mr. Mandel’s campaign blamed Ms. Timken’s campaign for the letter.

“Jane Timken is getting desperate because she got booed at the Trump rally and is consistently losing by wide margins in every poll. When she defended Anthony Gonzalez’s vote to impeach President Trump, she signed her own political death warrant with Ohio Conservatives,” Mr. Mandel’s communications director, Jillian Anderson, said in a statement.

At least two of three fund-raisers who quit Mr. Mandel’s campaign recently did so because of mistreatment by Rachel Wilson, the campaign finance director, the Dispatch reported last week.

Mr. Mandel and Ms. Wilson began dating in August, 2020, according to the campaign, four months after he and his wife filed for divorce. In February, the campaign released what it said were his sealed divorce records.

The Republican women who signed the letter questioned why the relationship wasn’t disclosed sooner.

“Worse, questions remain as to why Mandel’s relationship with a campaign staffer was kept secret from the public. What else do we not know that may come to light later?” they wrote.

Mr. Mandel, who has branded himself as a hard‑right Republican in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary to replace Sen. Rob Portman, has been pitching his candidacy at churches and touting endorsements from pastors and religious leaders.

Venture capitalist and author J.D. Vance is the latest Republican to enter the mix with Mr. Mandel, Ms. Timken, investment banker Mike Gibbons, and luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno.

First Published July 6, 2021, 8:30 p.m.