COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The U.S. Senate candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump was compared with a former Democratic primary presidential candidate and the incumbent in the race released his first ad of the election cycle last week.
State Sen. Matt Dolan, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and businessman Bernie Moreno are running for the Republican nomination to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in November. The primary election takes place March 19.
Here are developments from the past week.
Ramaswamy joins Moreno
Moreno held a rally with Ohioan and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who endorsed him the week before, and State Sen. Michele Reynolds, who endorsed him at the rally.
“Ohio Republicans have a chance to defeat Sherrod Brown this November, and Bernie Moreno is the candidate to get it done,” Reynolds said. “I’m proud to endorse Bernie, and I look forward to working together to win big in November.”
Group endorses Dolan
An organization dedicated to “ensuring that the children of Ohio prosper in their education journey” called Youth Prosperity Ohio endorsed Dolan.
“After close examination of all candidates, we believe Matt Dolan will be the true fighter for Ohio’s students,” the organization said in a statement, “When in the Ohio Senate, Mr. Dolan fought hard to secure funding for our schools and their students. We believe that Matt will continue to fight for Ohio’s students in the U.S. Senate which is why we’re endorsing him today.”
‘Which Bernie?’ quiz
A website called whichbernie.com was launched by Buckeye Leadership Fund, a super PAC supporting Dolan in the election. The site compares Moreno with another Bernie — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) — in a quiz.
The quiz presents 10 statements, asking visitors to guess whether they describe Moreno or Sanders. Examples of questions in the quiz include:
- Which Bernie said that Donald Trump was as “dumb as a rock?”
- Which Bernie joined with an organization founded by former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg to personally promote a “pathway to legal residency for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants already living in the United States?”
- Which Bernie congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for winning the 2020 election and urged Republicans to “move on” and accept the results?
The answer to each of these questions, and the seven others on the website, was Moreno, according to the quiz.
Poll: No clear frontrunner
An Emerson College poll of Ohio’s U.S. Senate election showed nearly 40% of voters were undecided on who they’d choose in the Republican primary. The breakdown of the three main contenders went:
- Moreno: 22%
- LaRose: 21%
- Dolan: 15%
The poll also looked into a hypothetical general election against Brown. In each, the result fell within the margin of error’s 2.3%. Brown led Dolan 38% to 37%, LaRose 39% to 37%, and Moreno 39% to 37%.
Brown unveils first TV
Brown unveiled his first TV ad of the election cycle. Highlighting Ohio’s steel industry, the ad pointed to Brown’s work to ensure that federally funded infrastructure would require the use of steel from the United States instead of China.
“I’m Sherrod Brown, and I’ll never stop fighting for Ohio workers,” Brown said.
Moreno snipes endorsement
Moreno, who has been piling up endorsements, gained one from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. This endorsement was notable because Yost serves in Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration alongside LaRose.
