Democratic group meddles in Ohio's GOP Senate race to boost the Trump-backed candidate

CLEVELAND — A Democratic group is airing a TV ad in Ohio’s hostile Republican Senate race emphasizing Bernie Moreno’s conservative positions and endorsement from Donald Trump — a move Moreno’s rivals see as an effort to influence the results of Tuesday’s primary.

“Moreno would lead the charge to enact Trump’s MAGA agenda to repeal Obamacare and institute a national ban on abortion,” the narrator says in the spot from Duty and Country PAC, which is affiliated with Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC with ties to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

“Donald Trump needs Bernie Moreno,” the narrator concludes. “Bernie Moreno does not.”

AdImpact, a firm that tracks political ad spending across the country, first captured the 30-second ad Thursday morning on a local CBS station in Toledo. Duty and Country PAC has $1.9 million in ad spending reserved from Thursday through next week’s primary.

Ohio’s Senate race is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive in the country this fall, with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown seeking re-election in a state Trump won twice by 8 points.

The GOP primary is ending on a particularly tense and nasty note. Moreno, a businessman, is facing an aggressive challenge from state Sen. Matt Dolan, who has spent millions of his own dollars. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally for Moreno on Saturday night near Dayton, while Dolan has scored late endorsements from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and former Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is also running for the Republican nomination.

“Seen those ads supporting Bernie Moreno? Know who is paying for them? It’s Chuck Schumer,” Dolan posted Thursday on X. “Schumer just got CAUGHT meddling in our primary