Ohio businessman Bernie Moreno has officially filed paperwork to run for the Senate in 2024 and challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
Bernie Moreno ( Photo: WOSU News )
Moreno is the second Republican to enter the race, following state Sen. Matt Dolan’s announcement in January
Moreno previously ran for Senate in 2022 but dropped out ahead of the primary after former President Donald Trump endorsed one of his rivals, J.D. Vance. Moreno’s decision to run sets up another potentially expensive and contentious primary in Ohio, which had one of the costliest contests in 2022 due to several self-funding candidates.
Other potential Republican candidates for the Ohio Senate race include 8th District Rep. Warren Davidson and Secretary of State Frank La Rose. Brown is considered one of several vulnerable Democrats in the upcoming election, as the party seeks to hold its slim majority in the upper chamber.
Trump won Ohio in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, and Vance won the 2022 Senate race by nearly 7 points despite a spirited challenge from Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan. However, Brown won his last race in 2018 by nearly 7 points, giving Democrats hope that they can hang on in a state that has trended increasingly Republican in recent years.
Brown also had more than $3.4 million in his Senate campaign account as of the end of last year
The Democratic Party faces a challenging map, with other incumbents in vulnerable positions, such as Sen. Joe Manchin in West Virginia and Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, as well as an unpredictable three-way race in Arizona.
Democrats will need to defend Brown amid this challenging map, which includes several other states where the party’s incumbents are in danger of losing their seats.
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