GOP's Bernie Moreno flips Ohio Senate seat
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.


Republican businessman Bernie Moreno has ousted Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: The Ohio and Montana Senate seats have been viewed as the two most likely to flip in Republicans' quest to take the Senate majority.
- Both states are home to Democratic incumbents representing red states that are expected to once again handily elect former President Trump.
Follow the money: More ad dollars have flowed into Ohio than any other congressional race this cycle, with heavy investment from the crypto industry and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell-aligned groups like the Senate Leadership Fund.
The big picture: After winning the only highly competitive Senate GOP primary this year, Moreno spent much of the summer trailing Brown in the polls.
- Brown has relied on his populist brand in a state that voted for Trump by 8 percentage points in 2020. His campaign predicted he could hold the seat if Vice President Harris kept Trump's margin in the state below 8 points.
Yes, but: Moreno closed the gap in recent weeks and internal polls showed him with a comfortable lead over the incumbent — who was first elected to the Senate in 2006.
- The late momentum came despite Democratic efforts to paint Moreno as a corrupt businessman and blowback over his comments in September insinuating that abortion should not be the top issue for women over 50.
