Senate candidate Bernie Moreno campaigns as an outsider. His wealthy family is politically connected

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Bernie Moreno was ready with a quip when a radio host in his native Colombia asked why he would want to trade his successful professional and personal life in Ohio for the toils of the U.S. Senate.

“Remember that my brother, Luis Alberto, just got out of politics — and there always needs to be a Moreno in politics,” he replied in Spanish during the 2021 interview. “Otherwise, what happens in the world, right?”

The lighthearted response from Moreno, the Republican nominee for Senate in Ohio, hints at his family’s deep political connections in both the United States and Colombia. Those ties, combined with his family’s considerable wealth in their home country, are the backdrop to Moreno’s journey from owning a single Cleveland car dealership to becoming Donald Trump’s pick in the pivotal state.

“He comes from one of Colombia’s well-off families, whose wealth goes back generations and whose members recycle through senior government jobs,” said Philip Chicola, a retired U.S. diplomat who once worked closely with Moreno’s older brother.

Moreno has pitched himself as a political outsider and immigrant whose family built its way out of rudimentary beginnings in the U.S. thanks to the American dream. In a statement, he pushed back against questions about his portrayal of his origin story and his parents’ sacrifices as “disgraceful.” He also criticized his Democratic rival, third-term Sen. Sherrod Brown, as someone who “grew up with a silver spoon,” a reference to the incumbent’s status as the Yale-educated son and grandson of doctors.

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