Republican car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno defeated Senate Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown in Ohio, ousting the Democratic party’s most prominent populist and putting the GOP on course toward a Senate majority.
Moreno, an immigrant from Colombia who built a successful chain of car dealerships, prevailed in a bruising fight that tested whether a well-established Democratic populist could retain support from working-class voters who have embraced Donald Trump.
Out-of-state supporters from both sides flooded money into the contest, set to be the most expensive congressional race ever. Advertising on the campaign alone topped half a billion dollars, according to AdImpact.
Moreno capitalized on support from Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. He rode a wave of anger over a surge in migrants and inflation under President Joe Biden that weakened the appeal of Brown’s progressive populist brand.
Brown sought to extend his half-a-century run in politics with a fourth Senate term, counting on support from labor unions and his record of fighting trade deals decades before Trump made the stance popular. As Ohio pivoted hard to the GOP in the Trump era, the champion of blue-collar workers saw his fortunes dim. Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t seriously contend the state.
The Republican win in Ohio puts the party on course to take control of the US Senate.
Republican Jim Justice of West Virginia won the open seat held by the state’s retiring senator, Joe Manchin, an independent who mostly voted with Democrats.
Republicans need a net gain of only one seat to control the Senate if Donald Trump wins and two seats if Kamala Harris wins. The vice president breaks tie votes in the 100-member chamber.
The GOP challenger overcame strong support for abortion rights in Ohio, which voted 57%-43% last year to overturn a strict abortion ban and enshrine abortion rights in its constitution. Moreno sought to defuse concerns about his longtime support for abortion restrictions by painting Brown as an extremist who wouldn’t vote to block transgender athletes in female sports — an argument that appealed to conservative voters.
Also celebrating are crypto titans, who spent some $40 million to defeat Brown, a longtime skeptic of the industry and ally of SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Moreno, who founded a blockchain-based car titling company, has been a longtime advocate of crypto and courted advocates at their conferences.
“Elizabeth Warren ally Sherrod Brown was a top opponent of cryptocurrency and thanks to our efforts, he will be leaving the Senate,” the crypto super political action committee Defend American Jobs said in a statement.