U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, Republican from Ohio, speaks before former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump takes the stage during a Buckeye Values PAC rally in Vandalia, Ohio, March 16, 2024.
Kamil Krzaczyński | Af | Getty Images
Donald Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno will win projects in the Republican primary for the Ohio Senate, NBC News, entering a high-stakes November competition with incumbent Democratic senator Sherrod Brown.
“We must now, as a fully united party, understand that we have one mission, and that is to get rid of Sherrod Brown,” Moreno said in a victory speech Tuesday night in suburban Cleveland.
Moreno’s most important opponent was state Sen. Matt Dolan, who secured the support of Ohio’s popular Republican governor. Mike DeWine initially of last week. Secretary of State Frank LaRose also participated in the vote, but consistently placed third, losing to wealthier competitors.
Moreno’s victory is an early signal for this election yr: Trump’s MAGA endorsement could have an influence in 2024 that it did not have just a few years ago.
“I wear it with honor. “My support for the president, but from President Trump, I wear it with a badge of honor,” Moreno said.
In 2020, Trump lost the White House to President Joe Biden, and the GOP lost both houses of Congress. In 2022, many Trump-backed candidates underperformed in key races, although Republicans managed to narrowly retake the House.
With memories of those lopsided achievements still fresh, the Ohio race was posed as a test of whether the former president’s endorsement had renewed his grip on the GOP establishment this election year.
The success of Moreno, 57, a politically inexperienced entrepreneur who made a living as a luxury car salesman and blockchain investor, over career politician Dolan strengthens Trump’s comeback thesis.
“It’s clear that Donald Trump’s support of Bernie Moreno was a key factor,” Dolan told reporters after admitting Moreno’s race.
Republican presidential candidate Former President Donald Trump greets Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno during a rally at Dayton International Airport on March 16, 2024 in Vandalia, Ohio.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
With Tuesday’s primary battle in perspective, Moreno’s campaign is now moving into general election mode as the Republican Party hopes to unseat Senator Brown and help regain control of the Senate.
The GOP has already started scratching its heads over Moreno’s ability to flip the Democratic seat. Especially after receiving harsh reactions afterwards Associated Press report that linked his email address to a 2008 account on a casual sex site looking for “Men for One-on-One Sex.”
Moreno’s lawyer later released a statement saying that Moreno’s former intern created the account as a joke.
In the days leading up to the Senate race, the Democratic PAC spent millions on ads designed to boost Moreno, reflecting Democrats’ belief that Brown would have an easier time defeating Moreno than Dolan in November.
Ohio has become redder over the past few election cycles, with Trump winning the state in 2016 and 2020. The Republican Party is trying to capitalize on the Buckeye State’s red wave to help the party regain control of the Senate.
“Ohio may be one of the states that decides who controls the United States Senate,” Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday. “So there’s a lot at stake in this election.”
