The former President Trump-endorsed candidate in Ohio’s costly and contentious Republican Senate primary comes out on top, in another sign of the former president’s immense clout over the GOP.
CLEVELAND – There were two winners in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary – Bernie Moreno and former President Trump.
Moreno, a successful Cleveland-based business leader and luxury auto dealership giant, rode Trump’s endorsement to victory in Tuesday’s primary in a costly and contentious GOP nomination contest.
“I want to thank President Trump for all he did for me, for this campaign, for his unwavering support,” Moreno said in his victory speech.
Moreno, who highlighted that he spoke with the former president soon after his victory was projected, emphasized that “I wear with honor my endorsement from President Trump.”
Moreno’s victory in a bruising primary battle over state Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose propelled him into a general election showdown against longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a race that may determine if Republicans win back the Senate majority in November.
The Senate primary in its closing days was framed as a showdown between Trump and the MAGA/America First wing of the party, which rallied around Moreno, vs. the conservative establishment, which supported Dolan. Additionally, it was partially viewed as a test of Trump’s immense clout over the Republican Party.
Trump, who last week clinched the GOP presidential nomination as he became his party’s presumptive 2024 nominee, easily cruised to victory in Ohio’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday.
However, Moreno’s win in the competitive Senate contest was arguably a bigger victory for Trump than his presidential primary romp.
“An endorsement from Donald J. Trump is the most powerful endorsement in modern political history,” Moreno emphasized in an exclusive Fox News interview at his primary night celebration.
