Republican Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate seat, flips second seat for GOP

Businessman Bernie Moreno won the Ohio Senate race against three-term incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ. This is a big flip for Republicans as they try to win a majority in the chamber, and a loss for Democrats as Brown is the Chairman of the powerful Banking Committee.

Immigration was a top issue in the Ohio Senate race. Moreno legally immigrated to the U.S. from Columbia at age 5 and became a citizen at 18. He said it is infuriating to watch the United States, in his words, award those who skipped the line and entered illegally. Moreno supports mass deportations proposed by former President Donald Trump and more funding for the border wall.

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Brown voted for the bipartisan border security bill that Republicans blocked in February 2024. He has also introduced multiple bills to combat fentanyl being trafficked into the country. One of those bills was passed in 2018.

Trump threw the state in the spotlight during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris when he falsely stated Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating pets, specifically dogs and cats. That led to threats made against the community, including schools. Both Brown and Moreno said those threats were wrong and unacceptable. 

Moreno had been backed by Trump since the primary. Trump has taken Ohio in all three of his presidential campaigns. Brown was running for his fourth term in the Senate.

This was the most expensive Senate race in the country, with more than $400 million in spending, according to OpenSecrets.