CNN
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The matchup in some of the aggressive Senate races of the yr was set Tuesday, when voters selected Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, who had the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, to tackle Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall.
Moreno is a Colombian-born, American-raised automobile dealership proprietor. He leaned into his background as an immigrant “who got here right here legally” and pitched himself as an “outsider” who hasn’t held political workplace and may unseat a three-term incumbent.
His race in opposition to Brown will likely be essential to deciding which celebration may have management of the Senate, after defeating Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan in Tuesday’s major.
Brown, who was unopposed in the Democratic major Tuesday, is in search of a fourth time period in a state that’s been trending pink. He’s considered one of two Senate Democrats operating for reelection in a state Trump twice carried and is a high goal for Republicans.
Throughout his marketing campaign, Moreno leaned closely into his backing from Trump, who endorsed him in December on the urging of Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance. Together with Trump and Vance, the conservative Membership for Progress additionally supported Moreno.
As a part of a technique by Brown allies to attract what they see as essentially the most favorable basic election matchup, Senate Democrats ran adverts highlighting Moreno main as much as the Republican major, suggesting they view Moreno because the weakest candidate in opposition to Brown.
“MAGA Republican Bernie Moreno is simply too conservative for Ohio. In Washington, Moreno would do Donald Trump’s bidding. That’s why Trump endorsed Moreno, calling him ‘precisely the kind of MAGA fighter that we’d like in the US Senate,” an advert stated.
Trump was omnipresent in the Moreno marketing campaign’s promoting.
“MAGA alert: President Trump desires you to vote for outsider businessman Bernie Moreno,” stated one of many marketing campaign’s last adverts, which reminded voters simply tuning in who had essentially the most coveted endorsement in Republican primaries. “Trump endorsed Bernie Moreno for Senate.”
“I need to thank President Trump for all he did for me, for this marketing campaign, for his unwavering assist, for his love of this nation,” Moreno stated at his marketing campaign’s watch celebration in Cleveland shortly after he was projected the winner.
The previous president additionally made a last-minute journey to the state over the weekend to assist his most popular candidate recover from the end line. The rally in assist of Moreno was overshadowed by Trump’s feedback that if he had been to lose the 2024 election, it might be a “massacre” for the US auto trade and the nation.
Moreno had beforehand been a critic of the previous president. CNN’s KFile uncovered a number of audio clips and deleted tweets of the Senate GOP nominee harshly criticizing Trump.
He as soon as stated there was “no state of affairs” wherein he would assist Trump. He’s additionally referred to as Trump a “pretend Republican” who stokes “hatred and worry” and urged that the previous president’s reputation is the results of “ignorance in our society.”
Moreno was a prolific Republican donor for years earlier than first operating for Senate in 2022, when he loaned his marketing campaign thousands and thousands from his private fortune earlier than dropping out of the race forward of the first.
The businessman once more poured thousands and thousands from his private fortunes into his present bid, with the most recent Federal Election Fee data displaying that Moreno has contributed at the least $4.2 million to his marketing campaign.
CNN’s Simone Pathe and David Wright contributed to this report.