Republican businessman Bernie Moreno is projected to win Ohio’s U.S. senate race in the second flip of the night for the GOP.
Decision Desk Headquarters projected at 10:50 p.m. ET that Moreno would win the race. As of 11:00 p.m., Moreno led Brown by a 51 percent to 46 percent margin with 86 percent of the vote reported, the New York Times‘s election results showed.
Moreno, who built one of the largest auto dealer groups in the U.S., focused heavily on Democrats’ radical electric vehicle mandates throughout the election, which are poised to wreak havoc on Ohio’s auto industry.
He was closely aligned with Trump and Ohio’s junior senator, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, on the issues. He had their support throughout the race against Brown, who served three terms as a senator after a 14-year stint as a congressman.
His victory underscores Ohio’s shift to the right in recent elections, as Trump won the former swing state in 2016 and 2020 before the GOP swept all statewide races in the 2022 midterms.
The big win comes after Moreno prevailed through the Republican primary with Trump’s backing, staving off Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan.
This is the second Democrat seat to flip red this evening, as Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) secured victory in his bid to succeed outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV).
With Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) holding his seat and Justice’s flip, Republicans just need to hold on to Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Deb Fischer’s (R-NE) seats to land a 51-seat majority.
Republicans also look to flip Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-MT) seat with a win by Republican Tim Sheehy in red Montana. Republican Senate candidates also have legitimate chances in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, and they are within striking distance in Nevada and Arizona.