CLEVELAND — Republican Bernie Moreno, Donald Trump’s chosen candidate for Senate in Ohio, defeated state Sen. Matt Dolan on Tuesday night, sparing the former president an embarrassing defeat in a state he won handily in 2020.
Moreno, who will face incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in the fall, led the Republican primary by more than 17 points with nearly 90% of the votes counted, defying expectations of a close race. He received 50% to Dolan’s 33%, with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose placing a distant third.
Supporters of Moreno, gathered at a hotel in Westlake to watch the results roll in, broke into cheers of “Bernie!” as the race was called for Moreno just an hour after polls closed.
Moreno had been trading the lead with Dolan, a Republican centrist who has distanced himself from Trump, in the campaign homestretch, raising concerns about his viability as a candidate.
He benefited from Trump’s endorsement but also weeks of stump speeches from Republicans in his orbit. The conservative Club for Growth spent millions on Moreno’s behalf as well.
A last-minute report that Moreno’s work email had been used to solicit sex from young men on an adult website, prompting sharp denials from Moreno, presented a fresh political danger even as a former intern accepted blame for the profile, calling it a “stupid prank.”
Yet Moreno walked away with the Republican nomination handily on Tuesday. Dolan called him to concede shortly after 9 p.m., according to a spokesperson. Within the hour, LaRose released a statement bowing out.
Moreno joked about how “spirited” the primary had become in an election night speech thanking his supporters, chief among them Trump. He told the audience he had just gotten off the phone with the former president before appearing on stage.
The speech largely served as a pivot to the general election, previewing how Moreno will attempt to tie Brown, an “old commie” Republicans would “retire” in November, to President Joe Biden.
“What we have to do now is, as a fully united party, understand that we have one mission, which is to get rid of Sherrod Brown,” he told the audience to cheers.
Moreno’s victory represents another defeat for the “Old Guard” Republicans in Ohio, whose pragmatic streak has been panned as weakness in a party deeply shaped by Trump’s anti-establishment messaging. Dolan had been endorsed by GOP heavyweights including Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH).
It also gives Democrats their preferred split screen come November. They spent more than $3 million elevating Moreno in campaign advertising in the primary’s final weeks, seeing him as more beatable with the Ohio electorate.
National Democrats took a shot at Moreno shortly after the race was called, tying him to the specter of a national abortion ban and painting him as a corrupt politician who “only cares about gaining political power.”
Moreno alluded to the campaign spending on his behalf, which warned that Moreno would do “Donald Trump’s bidding” in Washington, to say he would unapologetically embrace the former president.
“Let me tell you something, I wear with honor my endorsement from President Trump,” he said. “I wonder whether Sherrod Brown is gonna wear with honor his 99% voting record with Joe Biden.”
“I would predict this: If Joe Biden enters Ohio, Sherrod Brown is gonna fly out of here like a scared cat,” Moreno added.
Dolan’s closing pitch to Republicans had been his electability, calling it a matter of common sense backed up by polling. But he also blanketed the airwaves with ads designed to appeal to the party’s base, in particular with his call for border security.
He improved on his 2022 run for Senate when he placed third in a crowded primary for the seat now held by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), yet his campaign strategy, including an emphasis on early voting, was not enough to overcome the turnout for Moreno on Tuesday.
All told, more than $35 million was spent by the three candidates and their affiliated outside groups by Election Day.
The victory for Moreno, who built his fortune as a luxury car dealer and then blockchain company executive, is years in the making. He briefly entered the 2022 primary but decided to sit out following a conversation with Trump, who ultimately backed Vance.
His endorsement proved decisive in that race, catapulting Vance to the front of the pack, and, in a sign of his enduring influence over the party, ultimately helped get Moreno across the finish line.
Trump rallied for Moreno at an airfield outside of Dayton on Saturday, drawing a crowd of thousands to the event.
LaRose led the field in the early months of the race, thanks to his strong name ID as the state’s top election officer. However, his campaign was outgunned by the resources of Moreno and Dolan, both of whom invested millions of their own money into the contest.
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He had staked his candidacy on opposing Issue 1, a ballot measure to enshrine abortion access into Ohio’s state constitution, yet faced a setback in a special election held for the measure last year.
Ohio voters approved the change, casting early doubt on LaRose’s viability as a Senate candidate and possibly signaling the potency of abortion come November.
