Now Republicans just need a top tier candidate in Ohio. I like Mandel, but he is very green right now, and isn't well-known to voters. If someone like Mary Taylor or Jim Jordan runs, then Republicans will be much better set in the race.
You're right that Republicans (barring some unforeseeable event or scandal) need a better candidate than Mandel to have a real chance of beating Brown (although Mandel has always been an unusually good fundraiser and the results will be at least somewhat close, I just can't see Mandel beating Brown). However, that candidate is most certainly not Jordan. In fact, he'd probably do worse than Mandel because of how extreme his views are and because he isn't even very well liked by the Ohio Republican Party (the Ohio GOP is pretty establishment dominated, although the establishment here is obviously very right-wing, especially on economic issues). Taylor would be better than Jordan, but I think Brown could definitely beat her by making the race a referendum on Kasich. Republicans would probably need someone like Husted, Tiberi, or Stivers and even than Brown could very well end up winning.
It seems like every competitive or potentially competitive Senate race in Ohio recentlly ended up wildly uncompetitive, even with an incumbent in the mix, based on the macro environment. Brown was a beneficiary of that and I have a sick feeling he's going to be a victim of it.
