National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman Steve Daines (R-MT) congratulated and endorsed Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno moments after he won Ohio’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
Daines’ statement came in an NRSC press release posted to X.
“Bernie Moreno is a committed conservative who will unite Republicans to put America first, fight for President Trump’s agenda, and stand up for Ohio in the Senate,” Daines said before taking aim at Moreno’s general election opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). “Bernie is a political outsider running against a liberal career politician who has been running for office for 50 years.”
“I’m proud to offer Bernie my full endorsement as we fight to secure a conservative Senate majority,” Daines added.
In this Sept. 14, 2020, file photo, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) speaks to a crowd of supporters at a Republican campaign rally in Belgrade, Montana. (AP Photo/Tommy Martino, File)
The Associated Press (AP) called the race for Moreno over his opponents, State Sen. Matt Dolan (R) and Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), at 8:35 p.m. ET, marking a significant victory for the MAGA wing of the Republican Party over the GOP establishment.
Moreno’s match-up with Brown in November marks one of the best Senate seat pickup opportunities for the Daines-led NRSC and GOP this cycle.
Republicans swept every statewide contest in Ohio in the 2022 midterm elections — led by Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH) win in the U.S. Senate race. Eight-point victories for former President Donald Trump in the Buckeye State in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections preceded the Republican landslide in 2022.
Brown won his last reelection bid in 2018 over former Rep. James Renacci (R-OH) by a margin of 53.4 percent to 46.6 percent, the New York Times notes. However, he did not have to reckon with Trump at the top of the ballot that year as he will have to do in November.