Campaign finance filings indicate Ohio Republican Josh Mandel sold a vehicle disabled in a March wreck to an online auction company, skirting a potential insurance review of the vehicle's ownership.
A spokeswoman said it made the most sense to sell the high-mileage 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which went for $938 to Copart Inc. of Dallas. Mandel, the state treasurer, was in the SUV owned by his U.S. Senate campaign when it crashed near Toledo in March, months after his failed bid to unseat Democrat Sherrod Brown. Mandel doesn't use state-owned transportation for official business to save taxpayer money. He's prohibited under federal law from using a Senate campaign vehicle for personal use or to run for a different office. His treasurer campaign paid to rent the SUV in June.