After a primary fight filled with bruising attacks and salacious allegations, wealthy businessman Bernie Moreno won the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Ohio, setting up the hardcore Donald Trump acolyte for an epic clash with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
According to the Associated Press, Moreno defeated two tough GOP rivals, deep-pocketed state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, in Tuesday’s primary election, the only highly competitive GOP contest for a top Senate race this year.
While Dolan kept the race somewhat close—performing well in the state’s suburban areas—Moreno successfully galvanized the MAGA coalition that has powered the GOP to recent wins in Ohio. As more votes were counted, Moreno expanded his lead to double-digit margins.
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Though the primary was expensive and hard-fought, it will likely pale in comparison to the battle between Moreno and Brown, which could easily decide control of the U.S. Senate. Even as Democrats attempt to defend seats in Montana, Nevada, and Pennsylvania this year, Ohio could command the most money and attention.
Trump and his allies are fully bought-in on the GOP’s horse in this race, for better or for worse. Moreno, who made his fortune as a car dealer in Cleveland, was endorsed by Trump, as well as Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). (Moreno briefly ran against Vance in the 2022 GOP primary before dropping out and endorsing him.)
Dolan, who also ran in that 2022 race as a Trump-skeptical voice, found his brand of non-MAGA Republicanism rejected yet again by Ohio voters.
In the days before the primary election, Trump and his allies mobilized for Moreno on the ground. At a Dayton rally with Vance and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump called Moreno an “America First champion” who will be a “warrior in Washington.” Arizona Senate candidate and Trump devotee Kari Lake spent Monday in Ohio stumping for Moreno.
Moreno’s camp navigated an awkward series of attacks in the run-up to election day. Last week, the Associated Press reported that Moreno’s business email address was used in 2008 to create a profile on a website called “Adult Friend Finder” seeking sexual encounters with men. The profile, which was leaked in a years-old hack of the website, was first tweeted and deleted last month by the right-wing account Libs of TikTok.
Moreno—who is married to a woman and has run on an anti-LGBTQ platform—denounced the story Friday as “a sick, last-minute attack by desperate people.”
From left, Matt Dolan, Frank LaRose and Bernie Moreno attend the Columbiana County Lincoln Day Dinner in Salem, Ohio, on March 15.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesThough Trump and his entourage maintained their public enthusiasm for Moreno, his rivals seized on the report. The Buckeye Leadership Fund, which is backing Dolan, launched ads on Friday pulling quotes from the AP story calling Moreno “creepy.”
Ohio Democrats publicly insisted that they were prepared to take on either Moreno, LaRose or Dolan—noting that the primary has dredged up unseemly baggage and stoked embarrassing moments for all three candidates.
“Everyone in this race has been more focused on fighting each other than fighting for Ohioans,” Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Katie Smith said in a statement. “No matter which untested rich guy makes it through this expensive slugfest, they’ll enter the general election damaged, with substantial baggage that makes clear they will not put Ohio first."
Even Vance called the race “pretty ugly,” acknowledging to Politico that the rampant Republican infighting would “eventually hurt the nominee.”
While no GOP candidate emerged from the primary unscathed, some top Democrats bet that a Moreno primary win would provide the surest path to victory for Brown. The Duty and County political action committee—which is backed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)—spent $2.5 million before the primary on a TV ad boosting Moreno as “too conservative for Ohio.”
As secretary of state, LaRose was a known political quantity state-wide. However, he struggled to match Moreno and Dolan’s massive campaign spending. By March, Moreno contributed $5.4 million to his campaign, and Dolan—whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball franchise—shelled out $11 million. Since then Moreno has spent an additional $300,000 to Dolan’s $1.2 million.
All told, the three campaigns and interested outside groups invested about $40 million on primary radio and TV ads in Ohio’s expensive media markets.
In what has become a predictable campaign dynamic, Trump’s endorsement played a major role in the race. LaRose actively courted the former president’s stamp of approval—even announcing that Trump told him he was staying out of the race altogether—but lost it to Moreno.
Dolan did not seek Trump’s endorsement and distanced himself from the former president. Instead he won support from prominent Ohio GOP establishment types. Former Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine—who has not endorsed Trump—backed Dolan.
With Trump in his corner, Moreno will bring down the full force of the MAGA political machinery down on Brown. But the Democrat is a formidable incumbent, boasting a stocked campaign war chest. He already raised $5.7 million by March this year and is reporting $13.5 million cash on hand. Brown did not face a primary challenge.
Still, Democrats confront an uphill slog in increasingly conservative Ohio—the party has not secured a presidential, gubernatorial or Senate victory in the state since Brown’s last re-election in 2018. Ohio Democratic operatives hope decisive support for a ballot measure codifying abortion protections last fall as a sign that voters will reject MAGA extremism in November.
