Trump got the candidate he wanted in Ohio’s Senate primary. But can Bernie Moreno win in November?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Donald Trump got what he wanted when former car dealer Bernie Moreno won the Republican Senate primary in Ohio.

So did Democrats.

Moreno’s positions on abortion, immigration and Trump’s election lies make the Republican less electable this fall, Democrats believe, in the race against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Democrats actually ran ads in the GOP primary’s closing days boosting the Trump-backed Moreno over more moderate alternatives.

Yet it was Trump who may have cheered the loudest in the wake of Moreno’s victory Tuesday night.

“THANK YOU, OHIO — MAGA,” Trump wrote on social media, referencing his “Make America Great Again” movement. He shared another post that declared, “Trump reigns supreme in OH.”

Moreno stands as the latest proxy in the Republican Party’s wrestling match between Trumpism and more traditional conservatives. Even after underwhelming Republican performances in three consecutive national elections under Trump’s watch, the former president and his allies have been unrelenting in their fight against any GOP candidate who does not wholly embrace Trump’s wishes.

In 2024, Trump and his movement are winning the Republican tug of war again, despite the general election risks.

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