Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine bypasses Trump-backed Bernie Moreno for Matt Dolan with US Senate race nod

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio parted ways with Donald Trump on Monday and endorsed state Sen. Matt Dolan over Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno in the state’s three-way GOP primary for a U.S. Senate seat.

In breaking ranks with the former president, DeWine called Dolan the party’s best shot at defeating Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in November.

Brown is viewed as one of the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrats seeking reelection this fall, while Dolan has cast himself as a moderate Republican and the only candidate in his primary who didn’t actively seek Trump’s endorsement.

In a letter to fellow Ohioans, DeWine and his wife Fran urged them to vote for Dolan. They praised Dolan for his “service, experience, and integrity,” and wrote: “He listens. He fights. And, he knows how to get results for Ohio.”

DeWine’s decision highlights continued divisions between establishment Republicans in the one-time battleground state and the party’s increasingly dominant pro-Trump flank, which twice chose him for president by strong margins. Ohio’s state GOP was the first in the nation to endorse Trump for president this year.

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