Bernie Moreno has pulled off an upset and made history in the process.
The 57-year-old Colombian-born American Republican politician and businessman defeated Democrat and three-term incumbent Sherrod Brown, the chair of the Senate Banking Committee, to become Ohio’s first Latino, and first person of color in the U.S. Senate.
Moreno, a Cleveland businessman who was endorsed by Donald Trump back during the primaries, \won in the most expensive Senate race this year.
His win was key in the GOP’s retaking of the upper chamber.
Moreno, who built up a successful network of car dealerships in Ohio, had trailed Brown in the polls for much of the race.
He was propelled to victory in part because of Trump’s strong performance at the top of the ticket. Trump easily defeatedVice President Kamala Harris in Ohio.
Moreno cruised to an easy victory in the Republican primary, buoyed by Trump’s endorsement in December.
He ran for the Senate in 2022 but dropped out at Trump’s urging. JD Vance wound up winning the nomination that year, going on to be elected to the Senate and later serving as Trump’s running mate.
An Emerson College Polling survey of 900 likely voters conducted from October 30 to Nov. 2 showed Moreno leading Brown 48 percent to 45 percent.
But other polls showed him trailing for much of the race. The poll-tracking website FiveThirtyEight showed Brown with a steady 2.5- to 3-
Democrats repeatedly hit Moreno on abortion rights, highlighting his comments in 2022 describing himself as “absolutely pro-life, no exceptions.”
He later softened his position by saying he supported “commonsense restrictions” on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, arguing the issue should be “mostly” left to the states.
Moreno also came under intense fire after being captured on video saying that abortion rights shouldn’t be an issue for women older than 50.
“Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ OK. It’s a little crazy, by the way, but — especially for women that are like past 50, I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you,’” Moreno said in the clip, which quickly became national news.
Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized Moreno, calling his remarks “tone deaf” and asking, “Are you trying to lose the race?”
Moreno later defended himself at a debate with Brown, insisting that he was only joking.
Brown sought to draw a clear contrast by highlighting his support for a state constitutional amendment in 2023 that ensured access to abortion and other reproductive health care. It passed with 57 percent support.
Moreno tried to regain momentum by hammering Brown on inflation, crime and migration across the U.S.-Mexico border during President Biden’s presidency.
The race was the most expensive Senate contest in the country, with both parties spending more than $500 million, according to the tracking firm AdImpact.
Brown was a top target of the cryptocurrency industry, which poured tens of millions of dollars into the race to defeat him.
One crypto-affiliated super PAC, Defend American Jobs, spent more than $40 million against Brown.
Crypto advocates faulted the Banking panel chair for opposing a bill backed by House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) to clarify how federal agencies would regulate cryptocurrencies.
Brown, 71, managed to outrun the top of the ticket by distancing himself from Biden-Harris administration and focusing on his own strong brand.
He criticized Biden for not doing enough to protect American workers from cheap Chinese imports and announced last year he would co-sponsor legislation to extend the emergency COVID-19 health policy known as Title 42, which Trump had used to keep migrants out of the country.
And he skipped the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, along with other vulnerable Democratic incumbents.
Over his 32-year career in the Senate and House, Brown has been a vocal and reliable supporter of the labor movement and often spoke about the “dignity” of work and took shots at corporate “greed” on the Senate floor.
In recent years, he became an outspoken advocate for expanding affordable housing and addressing the spread of fentanyl addiction that ravages parts of his home state.
He scored a big win in April when the Senate passed the FEND OFF Fentanyl Act, which was sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), as part of a $95 billion foreign military aid package.
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Steve Daines (Mont.) predicted months ago that Moreno would surpass Brown as he gained name recognition from campaign appearances and a flood of political ads.
Polling presented to Republican senators at the NRSC headquarters in September showed Brown with a 2-point lead over Moreno. But Daines argued that Trump would propel him to victory.
“We’re seeing Ohio is less prone to ticket-splitting and will be probably more of a red jersey, blue jersey outcome in November. And that bodes well for Bernie Moreno,” he told reporters.
Daines congratulated Moreno on his victory shortly after 11 pm ET.
“Congratulations to Bernie Moreno on his hard-fought victory. Bernie is a true patriot and the living embodiment of the American Dream. As Ohio’s next senator, Bernie will put Ohio first every day and fight to secure our borders, cut taxes, and restore American strength abroad,” he said in a statement.