GOP Senate contenders in Ohio face off for their first statewide debate
CLEVELAND — The three Republicans vying to take on Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s competitive U.S. Senate race this fall clashed bitterly Monday in their first state debate, drawing personal attacks and accusing each other of shifting political positions aimed at wooing GOP primary voters.
Across from WJW Fox 8 Studios in Cleveland, businessman Bernie Moreno, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Senator Matt Dolan generally agreed on a few issues. For example, all three supported some form of federal restriction on abortion access, citing pro-abortion amendments like the one Ohioans passed last fall as too extreme. They declined to say anything critical of former President Donald Trump, who Moreno supported, and called for fully securing the southern U.S. border.
However, they were quickly divided on the latter issue, with Dolan accusing Moreno of wanting to “militarize the federal government and deport children” for his position calling for the illegal deportation of everyone in the country. LaRose earlier Monday called on Democratic President Joe Biden for three military divisions to the border, which Dolan said was irresponsible.
“We have to work with the Mexican government, we have to take tough action against the Mexican government,” he said.
LaRose, noting that he would be the first Green Beret elected to the Senate, defended his support for a strong military strategy and deported anyone who came to the country during Biden’s presidency. “We don’t want to secure the border because we hate the people on the other side,” he said. “We want to secure the border because we love our country.”
Moreno called LaRose “slick” for voicing his support for deportation. Moreno emphasized that he is a “political outsider” – like Trump – who is running against two “career politicians.” He told moderators Colleen Marshall and Joe Toohey that even a criminal conviction of Trump, who faces four separate charges, would not cause him to reject the former president’s endorsement.
Both Moreno and LaRose described the Trump lawsuits as politically motivated and said there is a two-tiered legal system in the US that targets Biden’s political enemies. The debate moderators noted that Moreno originally tweeted that the Jan. 6 protesters were “idiots” and “criminals,” and later joined those who described them as “political prisoners.”
Moreno said there were two different groups of people involved, while Dolan called that an attempt by Moreno to “reinvent himself.” He also targeted Moreno for shredding documents when he faced wage theft lawsuits in Massachusetts.
“Public service is about trust, making sure you continue to do what you’re doing,” he said, also accusing LaRose of initially saying Ohio’s election was secure but later, while trying to win Trump’s endorsement to pursue, to say that they had done so. issues.
Moreno, pointing to Dolan, responded, “If you want Liz Cheney to represent you in the United States Senate from Ohio, this is your choice because that’s where his position comes from. The reality is that it is sad to see you repeating left-liberal talking points.” Cheney, a former Republican House member from Wyoming, has been highly critical of Trump.
Democrats said the debate showed that neither Republican candidate would “fight for anyone but themselves.”
“Amid every snub and insult in tonight’s debate, Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan made it clear that they have no interest in fighting for Ohioans or the issues that matter most to their daily lives,” said Katie Smith, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Ohio. said in a statement.
LaRose tried to position himself as a middle-class candidate against two wealthy opponents. Moreno is a millionaire who made his money building a luxury car dealership in Cleveland, and Dolan’s family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team; both have made millions in loans to their own campaigns.
“I live in the real economy, just like regular Ohioans,” LaRose said. “I’m not sure my opponents are sitting here at the kitchen table figuring out how they’re going to pay their bills like most Ohioans do. I understand that Ohio families are suffering because of Biden and Brown’s bad policies.”
On abortion, all three candidates said they see a role for the federal government in setting a limit — typically around 15 weeks. Dolan was the only one to mention exceptions after that point. They thought Ohio’s No. 1 vote, which passed with 57% of the vote in November, was too extreme. Dolan repeated the misleading claim that it would allow the return of “late-term abortions” while advocating that Republicans seek a federal compromise.
“We didn’t listen. We didn’t listen,” he said.