(The Center Square) – Cleveland businessman and political novice Bernie Moreno on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for an Ohio U.S. Senate, boosted by a Saturday appearance from former President Donald Trump.
Moreno’s win over state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose was called about 8:45 p.m., setting up a November showdown with incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown in one of the country’s critical races for control of the Senate.
Brown, first elected to the Senate in 2006, did not have a primary challenger.
With 26% of the vote reporting, Moreno picked up 41.5% to Dolan’s 36.5% and LaRose’s 22%.
President Joe Biden (88.9% of the vote) and Trump (74.8%) won the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, respectively. Both secured enough pledged delegates last week for their parties; nomination.
The loss was the second straight for Dolan, who also ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 2022 when J.D. Vance won the nomination and eventually the seat.
Trump made a campaign stop near Dayton on Saturday. Heading into that rally, Moreno trailed Dolan in an Emerson College poll conducted the first week in March.
In the latest Emerson poll, which sampled 450 likely Republican voters Sunday and Monday, Moreno’s support jumped 15 points to 38%, followed by Dolan at 29% and LaRose at 12%. Undecided voters were at 21%.
It was only a three-point jump for Dolan, while LaRose lost four points in the final poll. The margin for error was +/-4.6%
The same poll showed the top issue for Republican voters is the economy at 37%, followed by immigration at 29% and threats to democracy at 14%.
