CLEVELAND -- Sherrod Brown hit the trifecta.

In his bid for a third term in the U.S. Senate, the Democrat from Cleveland has so far drawn three Republican opponents.

All of them bad.

Bad for the country, bad for Ohio, bad for Republicans.

For a party that has dominated Ohio politics since 1990, this is reminiscent of -- though not nearly as bad as -- Democrats trotting out Rob Burch as their 1994 candidate for governor.

And if history means anything in Ohio elections -- and it tends to mean a lot -- Republicans will have as hard a time beating Brown this year as they would trying to convince clear-thinking Americans their president is not an unstable, small-minded bigot.

If there's a downside for Brown in all this, it was State Treasurer Josh Mandel's decision to quit the race.

Mandel, who lost to Brown in the 2012 Senate election, abruptly dropped out in early January, citing an unspecified health issue with his wife.

He would have won the primary. And in the general election, Brown would have peeled him like a grape.

In the span of a little more than a decade, Mandel went from a promising young star to a political pariah, widely detested in Columbus by Republicans and Democrats alike.

Mandel comes from a family with an exemplary reputation. Yet there was nothing subtle about his campaign's astonishing appeal to white supremacy.

If Mandel did indeed drop out for family reasons, it speaks well of a side to him he rarely shared with the public. That so many people believe there's more to the story speaks to a reputation in desperate need of repair.

For that, there's still time.

Mandel had almost no chance of beating Brown. In a general election campaign against Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci or Cleveland-area businessman Mike Gibbons, Brown will be heavily favored, but hardly a lock.

When Mandel dropped out, Renacci jumped in, as the four-term congressman, who represents a big chunk of Greater Cleveland, quickly abandoned what would have been a losing campaign for governor.

Two days later, Renacci told the Fox & Friends' audience of eighth-grade dropouts that even if President Donald Trump had referred to some foreign countries as "shitholes," it was because "the president many times says what people are thinking."

Trump-supporting Republicans thrive on the race issue. It's their oxygen, their reason for being. They want you to believe building a strong economy is their highest priority, but appealing to racial fears is central to their political survival.

So, after embracing Trump's racism, Renacci added the president should be judged on what he does, not what he says.

That moronic comment pretends that a president's words aren't important. If Renacci really meant what he said, Ohio would be a better place without him.

While Renacci is a slight favorite over Gibbons in the Republican primary, he's by no means a shoo-in. And because he's an outsider without a voting record, Gibbons is probably the better Republican choice to run against Brown.

What's so frightening about Gibbons is his love affair with the most amoral man ever to hold the presidency. In public statements and press releases, Gibbons rarely fails to promise voters he would "advance the Trump agenda" in Washington.

"Mike Gibbons remains committed to the race. No one has done more to support President Trump in Ohio than Mike Gibbons has, including serving as a campaign finance chair for the President... 1/3 — ❌ike Gibbons (@MikeGibbonsOH) January 11, 2018

Here's the "Trump agenda," as seen by Americans with a working conscience: hideous racism; misogyny; massive tax cuts for the rich and crumbs for the middle class; an assault on the First Amendment; total contempt for the rule of law; a daily torrent of outrageous falsehoods; wrecking the environment; and dragging the country to the brink of a nuclear holocaust.

What's not to like?

That's the "Trump agenda" hypocrites on the religious right embrace on a daily basis.

If Gibbons somehow wins the primary and runs as a Trump sycophant in the general election, the result won't be pretty.

Brown was first elected in 2006, thrashing two-term incumbent Mike DeWine -- whose Senate record included some significant accomplishments -- by just under a half million votes, running up a 12-point win.

Like 2018, Democratic candidates in 2006 ran with a strong political wind at their backs.

The turnout models will also be similar. And although Ohio is a more conservative place today than it was 12 years ago, it's not 12 points more conservative.

In Rob Portman, Ohio already has one senator willing to abandon his conscience in cowardly fealty to Trump. Electing another might seal the state's reputation as Mississippi North.

Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealer's editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.

To reach Brent Larkin: blarkin@cleveland.com

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue)