Ohio race was closely watched in battle for Senate
Republican Bernie Moreno unseated incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) on Tuesday, padding the Republican Party’s likely Senate majority.
Moreno’s victory coincided with former president Donald Trump winning Ohio for the third time. Moreno led Brown 50.8 percent to 45.8 percent when Fox News called it late Tuesday night.
Moreno’s win marks Republicans’ second Senate pickup of the night, following West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s unsurprising victory in the race to replace Independent Sen. Joe Manchin.
Both Moreno and outside spending groups hammered Brown on his support for the Biden-Harris administration and cited his liberal voting record. His support for virtually all of the White House’s policies ultimately cost him the seat, as his last-minute pivot to the center failed to convince voters.
Brown is the last Democrat who holds a statewide seat in Ohio. His loss continues the rapid realignment of the politics in the state, which was once considered the heart of the Democratic Party’s rustbelt strength.
Brown attempted to distance himself from the Democratic Party, now toxic in many parts of the state, in the final months of the campaign. He skipped the Democratic Party convention over the summer and touted his work with former president Trump on issues related to protectionism in campaign ads. But ultimately, he couldn’t escape his record.
“[Brown] voted with Harris and Biden 100 percent of the time when it mattered and against President Trump 100 percent of the time when it mattered,” Moreno said on Nov. 3. “Look, Ohio is done with career politicians. This guy was around for 50 years.”
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