Trump-Backed Moreno Wins GOP Senate Primary in Ohio

(AP)

Businessman Bernie Moreno won the Republican Senate primary in Ohio on Tuesday, a race called by Newsmax just more than an hour after polls closed.

Moreno defeated state Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. With 65% of the votes in, Moreno had 49.5% of the vote to Dolan’s 32.9%. LaRose was a distant third.

Moreno will take on Democrat incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown in November.

Moreno’s victory is also a win for former President Donald Trump, who threw his endorsement behind Moreno. Trump himself racked up another primary win in Ohio as well.

Moreno came into Tuesday with the slightest of leads in the polls — 29.4% to 29.3% for Dolan, according to FiveThirtyEight.com. LaRose was at 19%.

Tuesday’s result pits the Republican up against Brown in an all-important contest in November. In addition to Arizona and Montana, the Ohio race will be one of the most closely contested as Republicans vie to overturn the Democrats’ 51-49 advantage and flip the Senate red.

The three-term Brown defeated Jim Renacci by nearly seven points in 2018, 53.4% to 46.6%.

Moreno, who earned his wealth as a former car dealer, entered the race with the support of Trump, who campaigned for him in Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend.

“Bernie is a fantastic guy. He’s getting some very tough Democrat fake treatment right now,” Trump said then. “Don’t leave me alone, Bernie. … Ohio needs (you) to defeat your horrendous radical left Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, who pretends he’s my best friend.”

Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians Major League Baseball franchise, was endorsed by Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

Democrats “obviously think that Dolan is the strongest candidate, so that’s why I’m supporting Matt Dolan,” DeWine said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

LaRose began to fall off in recent weeks, portending his third-place finish as the self-funded Moreno and Dolan all but made it a two-man race.

The GOP’s heavy hitters pounded out support for Moreno early Tuesday. Donald Trump Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and, of course, sitting Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, among others, took to social media in support of Moreno, who had never held public office.

“Ohio MAGA patriots – Get out and vote today for America First warrior @berniemoreno for U.S. Senate!” Donald Jr. said in a video he posted to X.