Republican Bernie Moreno defeats incumbent Sherrod Brown in Ohio senate race in huge upset for Democrats

Republican Bernie Moreno just flipped the Ohio Senate race, managing to win a highly-coveted seat from incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.

The GOP businessman ran on his close ties to Donald Trump to beat the three-term senator.

Brown’s defeat helped propel Republicans to a new Senate majority.

Moreno had the backing of Trump ahead of what was a tight Republican Senate primary.

The businessman, who is an immigrant from Colombia and once owned car dealerships, argued immigration was the biggest issue in the race.

Brown was first elected to the Senate in 2006, but his reelection in 2012 and 2018 were both in elections years where Democrats had some momentum first with Obama on the ticket and then in the midterm backlash to Trump. 

The senator ran with a focus on bringing down costs for working families as well as protecting health care and women’s reproductive rights. 

He had the strong support of labor unions and outreach to union members as well as outreach to more moderate Republicans as he needed some GOP support to help him get across the finish line. 

During the campaign he painted his opponent as an extremist who was in the pockets of special interests and would give tax breaks to big corporations at the expense of working people. 

While Brown was for the bipartisan immigration deal, Moreno was against it and backed the mass deportation of millions of immigrations in the country illegally. 

As the race ran into the final stretch, polls showed Brown’s lead slowly dwindling but he maintained a small advantage in the average of polling. 

One issue that proved challenging for Moreno to navigate in the race was abortion rights as it has been a motivating issue for women and Democrats. 

Brown ran on protecting access to abortion and fertility treatments since the overturning of Roe v Wade. 

Voters in Ohio passed a ballot initiative protecting access to abortion in the state last year, but the issue was not held against Moreno.

Moreno previously backed a federal 15-week abortion ban but walked it back during the general election claiming the issue should be left to states. 

Senator Sherrod Brown campaigning at a rally in Cincinnati, OH on October 5, 2024

GOP businessman Bernie Moreno speaking during a bus tour stop in Columbus on October 28

However, Moreno found himself in hot water after he was caught on tape making controversial comments about women over fifty and abortion in September. 

In the video,  Moreno criticized women being single issue voters on abortion calling it ‘a little crazy’ and ‘especially for women that are like past 50.’

Even some Republicans including Nikki Haley blasted him for the remarks. His campaign claimed he was joking, but the comment made its way into a series of ads and trended online. 

The Ohio Senate race was the most expensive Senate race in the 2024 election season with more than $470 million spent on ads. 

‘Congratulations to Bernie Moreno on his hard-fought victory,’ said NRSC Chair Steve Daines in a statement.

‘Bernie is a true patriot and the living embodiment of the American Dream. As Ohio’s next senator, Bernie will put Ohio first every day and fight to secure our borders, cut taxes, and restore American strength abroad,’ Daines went on.