U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, Republican of Ohio, speaks before former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on stage during a Buckeye Values PAC rally in Vandalia, Ohio on March 16, 2024 .
Kamil Krzaczynski | Afp | Getty Images
Bernie Moreno, businessman supported by Donald Trump will win Ohio’s Republican Senate primary, NBC News projects, setting up a high-stakes race in November against incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
“What we need to do now is, as a fully united party, understand that we have one mission, and that is to get rid of Sherrod Brown,” Moreno said Tuesday night in a victory speech in a Cleveland suburb.
Moreno’s main opponent was state Senator Matt Dolan, who secured the support of Ohio’s popular Republican governor. Mike DeWine early last week. Secretary of State Frank LaRose was also on the ballot, but held a steady third place, financed by his wealthier competitors.
Moreno’s victory sends an early message for this election year: Trump’s MAGA seal of approval may have a power in 2024 that it didn’t have several years ago.
“I wear it with honor. My endorsement of the president, but on behalf of 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 narrowly took back the House.
With memories of that spotty record still fresh, the Ohio race was positioned as a test of whether the former president’s support had renewed his influence on the Republican establishment this election year.
The success of Moreno, 57, a politically inexperienced entrepreneur who made his living as a luxury car dealer and blockchain investor, over career politician Dolan strengthens the case for Trump’s return.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump greets Ohio Republican candidate for U.S. Senate 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 retrospect, Moreno’s campaign now shifts to general election mode as the Republican Party counts on him to unseat Sen. Brown and help regain control of the Senate.
There has already been some GOP hand-wringing over Moreno’s ability to flip the Democratic seat. Especially after facing backlash following an Associated Press report linking his email address to a 2008 account on a casual sex site that searched for “Men for 1-on-1 sex.”
Moreno’s lawyer later released a statement saying that a former intern of Moreno’s had created the account as a joke.
In the days leading up to the Senate race, a Democratic PAC spent millions on ads aimed at promoting Moreno, reflecting Democrats’ belief that it would be easier for Brown to beat Moreno in November than Dolan.
Ohio has grown redder in recent election cycles, and Trump won the state in 2016 and 2020. The Republican Party has sought to take advantage of the Buckeye State’s red wave to help the party regain control of the Senate.
“Ohio is perhaps 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.”
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.