5 things you need to know about Bernie Moreno and Sherrod Brown's Ohio Senate race

5 points to remember regarding Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno's Ohio Senate race

The upcoming Ohio Senate race has become one of the most highly anticipated races in the country, with the candidates having just been finalized. Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno won the Republican nomination on Tuesday, March 19, setting him up to compete against the Democratic incumbent Sen Sherrod Brown. This Ohio Senate race could ultimately determine which party will control the Senate starting in 2025. It is expected to be a grueling and expensive campaign, particularly as the Senate has wobbled with slim margins between different sides of party control in recent years. Here are five key points to remember about Brown and Moreno's bid for the Ohio Senate seat: 

1. Donald Trump's endorsement sealed the deal for Bernie Moreno

Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express his enthusiasm following Moreno's victory in the Ohio GOP Senate primary. The ex-POTUS wrote, "THANK YOU, OHIO — MAGA." In another post, the 77-year-old White House hopeful declared, "Trump reigns supreme in OH." Moreno is the latest candidate who represents the underlying struggle within the Republican Party between "Trumpism" and more conservative hardliners. Despite the underwhelming Republican performances in three consecutive national elections under Trump's supervision, he and his ever-ardent supporters continue to fight against any GOP candidate who does not wholly embrace or adhere to the former POTUS' wishes. Ohio GOP Governor Mike DeWine and former Senator Rob Portman campaigned against Moreno, arguing that moderate Matt Dolan, an affluent state senator whose family owns Cleveland Guardians, was a better alternative. Trump campaigned alongside Moreno in the election's closing days, while Sen Dolan attempted to consolidate the party's non-Trump faction. Moreno, in his election night speech in Cleveland, called for party unity while praising former President Trump. In paid advertising before the primary, Moreno incorporated Trump's false claims about the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, demonstrating his loyalty by stating, "President Trump says the election was stolen and he’s right."

2. Bernardo Moreno echoes the political positions of Donald Trump

Moreno, a former luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur, secured the Republican nomination for Ohio Senate. During the primary campaign, he stated that he would support the federal government imposing "commonsense restrictions" on abortions at 15 weeks, limits that would significantly contradict Ohio voters' previous decision of enshrining an individual's right to make their own reproductive decisions in the state constitution. He has previously described himself as "100% pro-life, no exceptions." One of his most popular campaign promises is to deport everyone who is in the country illegally, a move that even his Republican opponents, state Sen Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, have cautioned would be a logistical nightmare that may ultimately harm the economy. But Republican voters adored his positions, as former President Trump pledged the "largest deportation operation in American history" at a campaign rally in Dayton last weekend. Moreno also wants to classify drug cartels as terrorist organizations and dispose of birthright citizenship, which is constitutionally protected. With five commitments, Moreno presented a somewhat scaled-back version of the aforementioned policy goals on election night. Instead of widespread deportations, he vowed to work toward a "safe and secure border where people only come into this country legally." He promised a return to "energy dominance" so that the US does not look elsewhere for energy, as well as a reform of our "three letter agencies" to ensure that they are not monitoring American citizens. Moreover, Moreno seeks to restore "law and order" and abolish the United States Department of Education by the end of 2025.

3. Sen Sherrod Brown fired back at Bernie Moreno following his GOP Senate primary victory

After his GOP Senate primary victory, Moreno is set to face Democratic Senator Brown in the upcoming November election. In his victory address, Moreno quickly turned his attention to the general election campaign, by saying, "Let’s talk about Sherrod Brown now. Isn’t that great we get to talk about Sherrod Brown now? That’s great." He referred to Brown as "the old commie" and quipped that the Ohio Democratic party stalwart assumed office when the United States Constitution had been ratified. Notably, Sen Brown is seeking a fourth term in the Senate. Moreno asserted that he "wears with honor" the endorsement of former President Trump and remarked, "I wonder whether Sherrod Brown is going to wear with honor his 99% voting record with Joe Biden? Whether Joe Biden is the kind of person he likes to associate with? Because I would predict this, if Joe Biden enters Ohio, Sherrod Brown is gonna fly out of here like a scared cat, right?" In his response, Sen Sherrod Brown noted, “I’ll always work for Ohio — from standing up to special interests taking advantage of Ohio workers and corporations raising costs for families to make sure our veterans get the healthcare they earned." He chastised his opponent, noting, "Ohioans know I have always stood by them to make sure their hard work pays off and will stand up to anyone who gets in the way. The choice ahead of Ohio is clear: Bernie Moreno has spent his career and campaign putting himself first and would do the same if elected."

4. Democrats highlight the dangers of Bernie Moreno in the 'Matter of Trust' ad

In his Tuesday night victory speech, Moreno shrugged off a last-minute advertisement funded by a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) released an advertisement targeting the businessman, calling it a "Matter of Trust." The ad quoted statements from Moreno and his defeated primary opponents, Ohio GOP Sen Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State LaRose, at debates they participated in, claiming Moreno couldn't be trusted. The Senate Democrats’ campaign arm released the advert shortly after the MAGA-aligned Republican had clinched the party’s Senate nomination. The advertisement hits out at Moreno on a wide range of policy issues, including abortion, health care, and immigration. It accused the businessman of attempting to "overrule" Ohio voters, who supported a state constitutional amendment that protects abortion rights up to the point of viability. Moreno has stated that he supports a federal ban at 15 weeks, with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and safeguarding the mother's life. The commercial further noted that Moreno supports reducing the minimum wage, citing a speech he made at a debate in which he asserted that "at the end of the day, the market" will ensure that people earn a good living. It also highlighted his alleged support for the removal of the Affordable Care Act and his opposition to the bipartisan immigration bill that Senate Republicans halted from moving forward in February. The narrator even recounted claims brought by former employees against Moreno, a former car dealership owner, alleging that he did not pay them appropriately for overtime. The ad further accused him of destroying evidence "to get out of it."

5. A 'toss-up' between Bernie Moreno and Sherrod Brown awaits in November

A recent poll conducted before Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary election and surveyed registered voters from the Democratic and Republican parties indicated that Brown was leading among all three GOP candidates in hypothetical matchups. For the speculative race between Brown and Moreno, the former was ahead with 38 percent of the votes against the businessman's 34 percent. In the primary election, Moreno claimed approximately 50 percent of the votes, indicating that almost half of the Republican voters preferred one of the other more moderate candidates. In the upcoming Senate race against Sen Brown, Moreno will face one of the most fiercely contested races this fall. Brown is seeking his fourth term in a state that has increasingly swerved Republican red and is likely to vote for Trump in the upcoming presidential election in November. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has classified the race between Moreno and Brown as a "toss-up" between both candidates.