‘Hold Me Back, Hold Me Back… What a Joke!’ J.D. Vance Slams Josh Mandel Over Macho Posturing at Debate

The race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Ohio became even uglier on Friday night when Josh Mandel got into the face of Mike Gibbons, threatened him, and called him a pussy.

Later in the debate, candidate J.D. Vance roasted Mandel over his “disgraceful” behavior.

At one point during the debate, Gibbons commanded the floor while the other candidates remained seated. A businessman, Gibbons remarked that Mandel hasn’t worked in the private sector. His comment sent Mandel, a former state treasurer and Marine, into a tizzy.

“I have worked, sir,” Mandel yelled, getting up from his seat. “Two tours in Iraq, don’t tell me I haven’t worked.”

“You don’t know squat,” Gibbons said. “You back off.”

Mandel proceeded to threaten Gibbons, a much older person.

“You’re dealing with the wrong guy,” Mandel said. “You watch what happens, pussy. You watch what happens.”

Vance, sat quietly during the brouhaha before saying, “Guys, sit down. Come on. Goddamn, this is ridiculous.”

Later in the debate, Vance, who served in Iraq with the Marine Corps, returned to the incident and said this:

I just gotta comment on what we just saw. Look, as the only other person who’s served his country in uniform, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. My grandma had six children, three of them enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. I think the way you use the U.S. Marine Corps, Josh, is disgraceful.

[Raucous crowd applause]

Think about what you just saw. This guy wants to be a U.S. senator and he’s up here, “Hold me back, hold me back, I got two tours in the Marine Corps!” What a joke! Answer the question, stop playing around.

Vance went on to answer a question he’d been asked about Russia and Ukraine.

Watch above via FreedomWorks.