Moreno’s abortion comment rattles debate in expensive Senate race in Republican-leaning Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio– An off-the-cuff comment on reproductive rights by Republican Bernie Moreno in Ohio’s tight Senate race has put abortion at the center of the debate in this year’s most expensive Senate campaign. And that’s exactly what Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown wanted.

Moreno insists he was joking after a video surfaced on his cell phone of him criticizing women whose votes were motivated by concerns about government involvement in abortion decisions.

“Unfortunately, by the way, there are a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women saying, ‘Listen, that’s what abortion is,’” Moreno said at a Sept. 20 town hall in Warren County. I cannot have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for someone else.” OK. It’s a bit crazy, by the way, but – especially for women over 50, I think to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s a problem for you.’”

Brown and his allies pounced on the comment, which struck at the heart of the Democrat’s bid for a fourth term representing the Republican-leaning state. A woman in a TV commercial wondered why, if a 50-year-old woman doesn’t have strong opinions about abortion, a 57-year-old man — that’s Moreno’s age — running for Senate would.

Even fellow Republican Nikki Haley, the former presidential candidate, criticized Moreno as #ToneDeaf. “Are you trying to lose the election? Are you asking for a friend,” she joked to X.

Brown has made abortion access a priority, and Moreno’s comment meant the campaign focused less on the economy and immigration, issues the Republican and his party prefer to talk about.

Throughout the race, Brown said he was on a amendment that Ohioans supported by wide margins last year that enshrined in the state constitution the right of people to make their own reproductive choices. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and the Democrats are at the bottom of the ballot pay attention to the abortion issue to win votes in the first White House election since the The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

“Ohioans believe women should have the power to make their own health care decisions, and Bernie Moreno believes he should,” Brown said in a statement. “As a man over 50, I care deeply about a woman’s right to make health care decisions for herself – for my daughters, my granddaughters, and all Ohio women regardless of age.”

Dethrone Brown is a Republican priority. With Democrats defending twice as many Senate seats as Republicans, a loss in Ohio would jeopardize Democrats’ slim majority.

Ad spending reached $400 million in early October, making the Senate race the nation’s most expensive yet, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending on ads. That total includes a competitive Republican primary earlier this year.

The data shows that Republicans spent more money than Democrats on the Brown-Moreno race in the general election. As of Friday, Republicans had spent about $188.4 million on advertising since the March 19 primary, compared to $159.7 million by Democrats. The parties and affiliated groups have reserved an additional $68.5 million in advertising space between now and November 5.

Moreno, a wealthy businessman from Cleveland endorsed by Donald Trump – was undeterred by the controversy that arose after his comments on abortion surfaced. His campaign said the comment was ironic and that Brown and Harris are the ones who disrespect women.

“Bernie’s view is that female voters care as much about the economy, rising prices, crime and our open southern border as male voters do, and it is disgusting that the Democrats and their friends in the left-wing media continually treat all women as if they are automatically voters who are only thinking about abortion and have no other concerns they are voting on,” spokesman Reagan McCarthy said in a statement.

Ohio Republicans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the race. The one-time state has moved to the right and supported Trump twice by wide margins, and he is once again at the top of the ticket.

Trump’s support has carried weight in Ohio J.D. Vancethe first-term senator who is Trump’s running mate GOP state Rep. Derek Merrinwhich prevailed in a messy primary to challenge Marcy Kaptur, a long service Democratic congressman. Trump’s support propelled Moreno to victory in a hard-fought primaries.

Republicans have hammered Brown on his record, claiming he voted to allow “biological males in women’s sports” and supported providing stimulus checks and federal benefits to immigrants living in the United States illegally. Both claims distort the truth: Brown did not vote to allow transgender people to play women’s sports, but to prevent federal dollars from being diverted from schools that allowed them, and the immigrant-related vote in question involved a nuanced issue in legislation that have already prevented stimulus checks from going to immigrants without lawful status in the country.

Yet the attacks have been repeated often enough to register with voters.

“Bernie Moreno has quickly closed the gap with Sherrod Brown, even as Chuck Schumer and the DC Democrats spend millions on baseless smears and racist attacks on Moreno,” Philip Letsou, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement. The reference was to pro-Brown ads questioning the business dealings of some relatives of Moreno, a native of Bogota, Colombia.

Senate Majority PAC, an independent group aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, set aside $65 million in ad time in Ohio from Labor Day through the end of the campaign. The group’s president, JB Poersch, said Brown’s reputation, strong campaign and superior fundraising ability will help put the veteran politician over the top.

“We have a pretty big communications advantage in that state,” he said.

According to data from AdImpact, more than 90% of Republican spending — except for $1.9 million of Moreno’s ad support — comes from outside groups.

Brown has raised $51 million for his own campaign account, compared to Moreno’s $15.3 million, including $4.5 million Moreno loaned to his own campaign. The Republican has reported spending about $10 million on that so far, while his latest campaign finance report has not yet been filed.

Republicans are expected to continue to tie Brown to the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies main vulnerability for Democrats this year.

When it came to the unrest Springfield, OH, Moreno tried to blame Brown and Harris, condemning the “Haitian invasion” as a failure of the federal government to prepare before expanding the number of Haitians who could apply for Temporary Protected Status in the United States.

Brown didn’t mention it Trump and Vancewho intensified the spotlight on the city with unsubstantiated claims that Haitians eat petsbut he blamed “people playing politics” for making matters worse. At one point, state and local government offices and schools in Springfield closed due to dozens of bomb threats.

Moreno, meanwhile, has faced other challenges, including an Associated Press report created a profile using Moreno’s email account on an adult website. Moreno’s lawyer said the profile was created as a joke by a former intern.

The candidate retained Trump’s support after the report and was given a coveted speaking spot at the Republican National Convention in July.