Ohio's first GOP Senate debate centers on who's aligned with Trump — and who's a 'phony'

CLEVELAND — Three Republicans vying for Ohio's competitive U.S. Senate seat argued at a televised debate here Monday not so much about who is best for the state, but rather who is best for Donald Trump.

Businessman Bernie Moreno already has the former president’s endorsement — a fact he shoehorned into the first 30 seconds of his response to the first question. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who a month ago predicted Trump would remain neutral, presented himself as an unshakable ally.

Then there was Matt Dolan, a state senator who has expressed a desire to move on from Trump and did not jockey for his endorsement but pledged onstage to support him if he is the GOP's presidential nominee. Dolan, who was the night’s chief aggressor onstage, also asserted that, given his recent legislative experience, he is the most in sync with Trump while accusing his rivals of “phony” reverence.

“The reality is I’m the only one in this stage who has enacted Trump policies,” Dolan said. “These two have spent a great deal of time deleting all their past comments, hateful comments on Trump. And now, because it’s in their political best interests, they’re saying something completely different.”

Trump is the front-runner for this year's Republican presidential nomination — a status that could be further solidified Tuesday in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.

Monday's debate, hosted by WJW-TV of Cleveland and broadcast live across Ohio on Nexstar-owned stations, was the first of several planned ahead of the March 19 primary. The GOP nominee will go on to face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in what is expected to be one of the year’s fiercest and most expensive Senate races.

Although Brown and President Joe Biden were