The Republican race for the U.S. Senate seat in Ohio got ugly in a hurry.

While some of the candidates had previously criticized their opponents, primarily questioning their loyalty to former President Donald Trump and ability to lead, two debates in the past week have escalated tensions.

There was nearly a fight between investment banker Mike Gibbons and former state Treasurer Josh Mandel. The two got into a heated argument during a debate last Friday in Gahanna with Mandel talking about Gibbons’ investments and Gibbons taking exception to the comments.

Mandel said: “Down one path goes these squishy RINO (Republican in name only) Republicans, many of whom have been pro-China over the years,” adding that Gibbons made money selling companies to China or holding stock in Chinese businesses.

Gibbons later responded, while standing up, that Mandel has “never been in the private sector in your entire life. You don’t know squat.”

That led Mandel also to stand up and say: “Two tours in Iraq. Don’t tell me I haven’t worked.”

Someone had to finally step in between the two, but not before one of them used a vulgar term to describe the other. It appeared to be said by Gibbons.

After, Samantha Cotten, a Gibbons spokeswoman, said Mandel “is unhinged, unfit and flailing because he is losing. He is only a professional at one thing: running for office. He is hellbent on lying because he is failing. He doesn’t have the temperament, experience or fortitude to be a U.S. senator.”

Mandel said: “I’m a Marine, and I’ll never back down from a fight.”

Polls show Mandel and Gibbons as the Republican front-runners.

J.D. Vance, who also is seeking the Republican nomination for the Senate seat and is a former Marine, said the argument was an embarrassment and Mandel needs to stop using his military experience as a “political football.”

He added: “While others made a mockery of themselves with their phony tough guy antics, I focused on engaging with the voters, honing in on the real problems that Ohioans face and providing true solutions that may make life better for working and middle-class Americans.”

During a Monday debate in Cleveland, Gibbons also was asked about past comments he made that former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken, another Republican Senate candidate, had “barely worked” and that women had never been oppressed.

He responded: “There were not a lot of women that were in combat in World War I or World War II. That was men’s job at the time. Women were not subject to that. So were men oppressed because they had to go to war? I don’t know if oppressed is the right word. It was a different world, that’s all.”

Timken later responded that Gibbons’ “comments and behavior in the past two Senate debates are disqualifying.”

She added that between Gibbons’ “childish behavior and vulgar comments” at last week’s debate and “his misogynistic and anti-women comments” Monday, he “cannot be trusted to win Ohio.”

Gibbons campaign said as Timken’s campaign “continues to tank, her last resort is to play the victim card when it comes to being a woman. You can’t run on being a woman and then cry sexism when your record and background come under attack.”

On Wednesday, Timken and Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump adviser backing Timken, again criticized Gibbons. Timken didn’t directly answer a question during a conference call about Trump’s past comments about women.

But she said: “The only person who really won was Tim Ryan,” referring to the Democratic Senate front-runner.

Conway added: “Tim Ryan is having a great week.”

Later, Gibbons campaign said: “Every Ohio voter who cares about retaking the majority (in the Senate) and beating Tim Ryan should look at Jane Timken’s record. It’s disqualifying.”

Izzi Levy, Ryan’s campaign spokeswoman, said: “While the country club clown car of GOP primary candidates continues to go after one another, Tim’s workers-first message is resonating with Ohioans in every corner, and we welcome every opportunity for his millionaire GOP opponents to continue showcasing how out of touch they are with the everyday Ohioans, who they could not be worse equipped to represent.”

The Republican Senate candidates will have another debate Monday. The Democratic Senate candidates also will debate earlier that day.

Skolnick covers politics for The Vindicator and the Tribune Chronicle.

dskolnick@vindy.com