- Written by Madeline Halpert & Anthony Zurcher
- BBC news
image source, Getty Images
Trump visited Ohio this weekend to support Moreno’s campaign.
Donald Trump-backed candidate Bernie Moreno has won the Republican primary in Ohio, opening the race to determine which party controls the Senate.
Moreno will compete for the seat against incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
This is a victory for Trump, who endorsed Moreno in December.
Primaries are held by each party to select candidates for the November election.
“I want to thank President Trump for everything he has done for me during this campaign,” Moreno said after predicting victory.
He also thanked the former president for his “unwavering support” and “love for this country.”
Democrats also viewed Mr. Moreno’s win as a victory because they viewed him as a weaker opponent than traditional Republicans in the primary, state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
Trump visited Ohio in the final stages of the campaign to help push Moreno in a close and expensive Senate race.
The campaign has been in close quarters for months since Trump initially endorsed Moreno, with candidates spending millions of dollars on advertising.
In the end, Mr. Moreno received about 50% of the vote, compared to 32% for Mr. Dolan and 16% for Mr. LaRose.
In a post on X, Brown said the choice of Ohio voters is “clear.”
“Bernie Moreno has spent his career and campaign putting himself first, and if elected, he will do the same.” “I will always work for the state of Ohio.”
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Brown, who has served in the Senate since 2007, faced no challenger in the primary election and is considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators.
Democrats currently hold a narrow majority in the Senate, with three independent senators voting with them, but they face a number of tough battles in November.
While the Ohio Republican primary shows the strength of Mr. Trump’s support, with Mr. Moreno and several of his House candidates winning, there are also reasons for concern.
In Ohio’s primary exit poll, 18% of voters said they would not support Trump in the November general election.
Although Ohio safely became a Republican state in the recent presidential election, continued dissatisfaction with Mr. Trump within some parts of the party has been a continuing theme this year.
In California, no Republican was able to win a majority in a special election to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a safe conservative district.
That would force a runoff election within two months, and is disappointing news for Republicans, who have a slim majority in the House.
