Race for US Senate: Bernie Moreno v. Sherrod Brown

[Editor’s Note: An incorrect quote was removed from this story.]

(WJW) – Republican hopeful Bernie Moreno will now take on U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in November’s general election.

Moreno won the Ohio GOP Senate Primary race in the March primary election.

There was a lot of celebrating Tuesday for Moreno and his supporters after it was announced he beat out Senator Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank Larose. But Moreno quickly moved right into general election campaigning mode.

Get the 2024 Ohio primary election results here

“We’re going to win this in November,” Moreno said. “We’re going to retake the United States Senate. We’re going to have President Trump in the White House.”

Moreno, who is a legal immigrant from South America, said he got into politics now to save the American dream for others. He used his acceptance speech to show praise for former President Donald Trump and called on the party to unify to defeat Sherrod Brown. He called Brown a career politician who has been in office since President Richard Nixon and supports policies that are destroying the nation.

Moreno said he is going to get what he’s calling the “America First Agenda” done.

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“We’re never going to ask another country for energy because we’re going to be an energy-dominant nation,” Moreno said. We’re going to do massive reform of our three-letter agencies to make certain that they understand spying on Americans is unacceptable. We’re going to restore law and order in this country, aren’t we?”

Moreno said if he’s elected he would be the first Hispanic elected to the Senate from Ohio. Both Dolan and LaRose pledged to support Moreno in November.

Senator Brown was quick to position himself against the Trump-endorsed Bernie Moreno as the candidate of the people.

In an interview with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell Tuesday night, Brown said, “I think my career in terms of fighting for workers and taking on special interest is why nobody challenged me in the primary.”

He recognizes it will be an expensive battle ahead, calling it a tough race.

“They’re going to have tens of millions of dollars. Moreno is a rich guy who inherited a lot of wealth and he’s going to be spending it,” said Brown.

Sherrod Brown has been a U.S. senator representing Ohio since 2006. Republicans view him as vulnerable in a state which has grown increasingly conservative, in a year when Donald Trump is once again on the ballot.

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Brown appeared confident and said, “We’ll win this race. We’ll be outspent but we’ll out-organize. we’ll have more grassroots contributors and that’s how I’ve won elections in the past.”

The incumbent pointed out some challenges he believes the untested Moreno will face.

“I don’t think people trust him on abortion. I don’t think they trust him on ethics. They don’t trust him to take on interest groups,” said Brown.

Brown tells voters, that he believes Moreno is only out for himself while Brown has made a career of listening to his constituents.

“If you open your ears and listen,” Brown said, “you can make a big difference in this job. And I don’t think my opponent understands that.”

This race is expected to be one of the most expensive and highly watched because the outcome could determine control of the U.S. Senate.

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