Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate Republican primary race over Matt Dolan
Trump-backed GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno managed to fend off Matt Dolan, who had the support of the party's old guard. He's set to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in November.
WESTLAKE, Ohio — Bernie Moreno, a former car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur, has won Ohio’s Republican Senate nomination, NBC News projects, fending off a late surge from state Sen. Matt Dolan in a divisive duel of self-funding candidates.
Moreno’s victory Tuesday spares former President Donald Trump embarrassment in what became a brawl of a primary. Trump endorsed Moreno in December and headlined a rally for him last weekend — a sign that Moreno needed help across the finish line.
"I want to thank President Trump for all he did for me, for this campaign, for his unwavering support, for his love of this country," Moreno said in his victory speech here at a hotel near his home in a Cleveland suburb. "Because I don't think I've ever seen someone who loves this country the way he does."
Moreno will face three-term Sen. Sherrod Brown, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary Tuesday, in a general election that will help determine control of the Senate.
Brown is one of two Democratic incumbents, along with Jon Tester of Montana, up for re-election in states that Trump twice won by wide margins. Both parties plan to spend heavily on the Ohio race this fall.
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