Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Bernie Moreno wins Ohio's GOP Primary

Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno has won his party's primary, according to a race call by The Associated Press.

The former car dealership owner beat out other primary challengers in a three-way race that tested former President Donald Trump's influence with Ohio GOP voters.

Speaking to supporters Tuesday evening, Moreno thanked Trump for his endorsement and projected confidence.

"We're going to retake the United States Senate. We're going to have President Trump in the White House. We're gonna get the America first agenda done," Moreno said, adding that if elected he would focus on policies Trump pushed while in office that would include securing U.S. borders, restoring "law and order," and reducing foreign energy dependence.

Just days before polls closed, Trump rallied for Moreno in Ohio, calling him an "America first champion" and "political outsider who has spent his entire life building up Ohio communities."

Yet his Democratic opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown, responded Tuesday night to Moreno's win posting on social media saying, "The choice ahead of Ohio is clear: Bernie Moreno has spent his career and campaign putting himself first, and would do the same if elected."

Trump's influence on a bitter primary battle

Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan, who ran against Moreno, received key endorsements from GOP establishment politicians, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman. Moreno's other primary rival, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, declared his support for the former president. But it was Moreno who received Trump's endorsement late last year. The former president has a strong record of support within the state. He won Ohio handily in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

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