Democratic lawmakers are making efforts to promote Trump-backed Bernie Moreno in the Ohio GOP Senate primary so that he can face off against incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown.
A group that is affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Duty and Country PAC, went live with a TV ad that heavily touted Moreno's support from the former president. It also called him "too conservative for Ohio" and it is set to start airing on Thursday and will run through Tuesday's primary.
Ohio GOP Senate Primary
(Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The top Democratic outside group that is focused on Senate races, the Senate Majority PAC, is the one that is funding the Duty and Country PAC. The supposed aim of the ad is to promote Moreno among GOP voters. The interference in the GOP race suggests that Democrats believe Moreno would be the weakest candidate in the general election.
Ohio is one of three Democratic-held seats that are up for election in states that the former president won in 2020. It is also considered to be one of the most critical races to the Senate majority, according to Politico.
Moreno is part of a crowded and competitive race alongside Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan. The Democratic spot will air on broadcast TV stations across Ohio and says that Moreno would support a national abortion ban as well as a repeal of Obamacare.
It adds that Trump needs Moreno while Ohio does not. The spot was also backed by a $1.9 million buy as of Wednesday night. Polls have shown that the race for the primary is tight. Dolan, who is only one of the three candidates who did not seek Trump's endorsement, topped an Emerson College survey that was released on Wednesday.
In the past few days, he has also secured the endorsement of former Sen. Rob Portman as well as Gov. Mike DeWine. On the other hand, Moreno has endorsements from Sen. J.D. Vance, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and Rep. Jim Jordan.
Democrats Vs. Republicans
The communications director for Moreno, Reagan McCarthy, said that Democratic lawmakers constantly underestimate the America First movement "at their own peril." He argued that the left believed that Trump would be easy to beat in 2016 but they then lost, said the New York Times.
However, Moreno has struggled to pull away from his challengers despite Trump's endorsement. He was able to win the support of the former president and others by supporting hard-line conservative positions that Democrats view as potentially easier to run against in a general election.
The situation comes as Trump is set to visit Ohio this weekend to rally Republican voters for his endorsed candidate in the Senate race. His support was considered to be a pivotal factor two years ago when it helped Vance win in a crowded Republican field for Ohio's other Senate seat.
In a poll released by Survey USA, which involved 1,400 Republican and Independent voters, Moreno, who received 29%, was in a statistical tie with Dolan, who got 27%. On the other hand, LaRose got 21%, according to Axios.
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