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Republican businessman Bernie Moreno is projected to win Ohio's open Senate seat Tuesday in a tight race against three-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Brown was the last remaining Democrat to hold statewide office in Ohio. Republicans viewed it as among their best chances nationally to flip a seat given Ohio's recent hard shift to the right. Republicans have so far added two seats in the Senate Tuesday night – one with Moreno unseating Brown and the other with West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice winning the Senate seat held by retiring Independent Sen. Joe Manchin.
Moreno, the 57-year-old first-time political candidate who was backed by presidential nominee Donald Trump, won the nomination over more traditional conservatives in the state.
The Associated Press called the race in his favor at 11:30 p.m. ET.
Bernie Moreno’s early life, career
Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia, and moved to the United States with his family at age 5. He became an American citizen at age 18.
In 2018 he co-founded ChampTitles, which eliminates the need for States to issue paper titles. Moreno served as Chairman of the Board, but recently sold his entire stake in the company to focus on his political aspirations.
"I am running for the United States Senate because, for too long, the men and women who move Ohio forward, American workers, have been left behind by career politicians like Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden," Moreno said in a statement on his website.
Colombian-US businessman Bernie Moreno gestures as he arrives onstage to speak during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
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He continued: "All public policy priorities in America should revolve around a simple concept: what is good for American workers and families? All elected officials should strive to create a growing middle class where the American Dream is accessible to anyone, regardless of their background."
Bernie lives in Westlake, Ohio, with his wife, Bridget, and has four adult children.
The most expensive Senate contest
The race was on track to be the most expensive Senate contest this cycle.
The campaigns, parties and outside groups spent more than $400 million on campaign ads, according to the campaign ad tracking firm AdImpact. Campaign finance reports also showed that Brown spent more than $80 million on the campaign as of the start of October, far eclipsing the $19 million Moreno spent in the same period.
Moreno’s comments spark controversy
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Moreno recently came under fire over comments he made about abortion.
Moreno insists he was joking after cellphone video surfaced of him criticizing women whose votes are driven by concerns about government involvement in abortion decisions.
"Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it,’" Moreno said at a town hall in Warren County on Sept. 20. "‘If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ OK. It’s a little crazy, by the way, but — especially for women who are like past 50, I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you.’"
Last year, Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment ensuring access to abortion.
His campaign said the comment was made tongue in cheek, and that Brown and Harris are the ones disrespecting women.
"Bernie’s view is that women voters care just as much about the economy, rising prices, crime, and our open southern border as male voters do, and it’s disgusting that Democrats and their friends in the left-wing media constantly treat all women as if they’re automatically single-issue voters on abortion who don’t have other concerns that they vote on," spokesperson Reagan McCarthy said in a statement.