Republican Bernie Moreno just flipped the Senate race in Ohio, managing to win a coveted seat from incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Republican businessman Moreno ran on the strength of his close ties to Donald Trump to defeat the three-term senator.
Brown’s defeat helped Republicans gain a new majority in the Senate.
Moreno had Trump’s support ahead of the tight Republican Senate primary.
The businessman, an immigrant from Colombia and once owner of car dealerships, argued that immigration was the biggest issue in the race.
Republican Bernie Moreno just flipped the Senate race in Ohio
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Brown was first elected to the Senate in 2006, but his reelection in 2012 and 2018 came in election years when Democrats had some momentum first with Obama on the ticket and then in the midterm backlash against Trump.
The senator focused on reducing costs for working families and protecting women’s health care and reproductive rights.
He had strong support from the unions and support from union members, but also from more moderate Republicans, because he needed some support from the Republican Party to get him across the finish line.
During the campaign, he portrayed his opponent as an extremist who was in the pockets of special interests and would give tax breaks to big corporations at the expense of working people.
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While Brown was in favor of the bipartisan immigration deal, Moreno opposed it and supported the mass deportation of millions of immigrants into the country illegally.
As the race entered the final stretch, polls showed Brown’s lead slowly decreasing, but he maintained a narrow lead in the average of the polls.
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Senator Sherrod Brown campaigns during a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 5, 2024
GOP businessman Bernie Moreno speaks during a bus tour stop in Columbus on Oct. 28
One issue that proved to be a challenge for Moreno in the race was abortion rights, as it has been a motivating issue for women and Democrats.
Brown has been committed to protecting access to abortion and fertility treatments since the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Voters in Ohio last year passed a ballot initiative that protects access to abortion in the state.
Moreno previously supported a 15-week federal abortion ban, but dropped it during the general election, claiming the issue should be left to the states.
However, Moreno found himself in trouble after he was caught on tape making controversial comments about women over 50 and abortion in September.
In the video, Moreno criticized women who only vote for abortion, calling it “a bit crazy” and “especially for women who are already over 50.”
Even some Republicans, including Nikki Haley, condemned him for his comments. His campaign claimed he was joking, but the comment ended up in a series of ads and became popular online.
The Ohio Senate race was the most expensive Senate race of the 2024 election season, with more than $440 million spent on ads.