Ohio race between Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno at center of battle for Senate control

Ohio will be at the center of U.S. elections this November ? and not because it's a battleground in the presidential race.

Instead, all eyes are watching Sen. Sherrod Brown's campaign to secure a fourth term and head off Republican attempts to regain control of the U.S. Senate. This is a different kind of election for Brown: Ohio is no longer the bellwether it once was, and he's one of two Democratic senators defending a state former President Donald Trump carried in 2020.

The race has been quiet since Republican businessman Bernie Moreno won the March primary with the backing of Trump. Only occasional ads ? largely from Brown's campaign ? have littered the airwaves during local news and Jeopardy.

All of that's about to change. The campaigns are starting to ramp up public appearances as outside groups prepare to spend at least $200 million in advertising. And both candidates have already gone on the attack.

"I know that it's a competitive state," Brown said. "It's an increasingly difficult state. But I spent my career fighting for the dignity of work. I don't ask somebody, 'Are you a Trump voter? Are you a Biden voter?' I talk to them about their lives, about their work, about how I can help work alongside them so they can get better paying jobs."

Sherrod Brown, Bernie Moreno go on offense

After Moreno defeated Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, in March, he dialed back public events and spent much of his time fundraising. Some of that money ? including proceeds from an upcoming fundraiser near Athens ? is being used to pay off campaign debt from the primary.

But Moreno returned to the campaign trail last week with Attorney General Dave Yost and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, who organized a recent Senate GOP meeting with Trump. During a tour of a Groveport gas pipeline company, Moreno accused Brown of failing working class Americans with "bad energy policies."

Barrasso said he expects the former president to prioritize Ohio as Republicans fight for the Senate majority.

"He and (Sen. JD Vance) talk frequently and about the importance of Ohio in this election, and specifically this Senate election," Barrasso said. "I know President Trump's going to do everything he can do to carry Ohio very strong and, when he comes into the White House, bring with him into the Senate a very strong Republican for Ohio."

As Moreno recovered from the primary, Brown sought to paint his opponent as someone who can't be trusted. Moreno often skips over his family's wealth and political connections in Colombia when recounting his personal story as a legal immigrant. He also took credit for closing the Confucius Institute at Cleveland State University, a claim that overstates his involvement in the school's decision.

One ad from Brown's campaign suggested Moreno, a former car dealer, would "say anything" to sell cars ? prompting Moreno to accuse him of mocking the auto industry.

"He should be able to run on a record of accomplishing the things that he's done to make Ohioans better, to improve their lives," Moreno said. "Instead, he can't. The only thing he's got the run on is that Bernie's a bad guy."

Can Brown reach Trump voters in Ohio?

Brown, for his part, touts his work on pensions and legislation that requires American materials to be used for federal infrastructure projects. He also joined activist Gloria Steinem on Monday to pan Republicans, including Moreno, for supporting a federal abortion ban and opposing legislation to guarantee the right to contraception.

"We’ve seen in the last year and a half between the August constitutional effort, the abortion ballot initiative, voters know what’s at stake," said Aaron Pickrell, a Democratic strategist based in Ohio. "When they know what’s at stake, they’re responding in a way that benefits Sherrod this upcoming cycle."

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A populist economic message served Brown in past elections and enabled him to connect with voters who otherwise supported Republican candidates, including Trump. Ohio union leaders say they're confident he can do it again, particularly as Moreno faces criticism for selling Chinese-made SUVs at his dealership.

But Brown has never shared the ballot with Trump before, and the top of the Democratic ticket ? President Joe Biden ? is unpopular in Ohio. That dynamic is already playing out in the Senate race: Brown is forging ahead on his own, with little focus on the presidential candidates, while Republicans try to tie the senator to Biden.

Taken together, political observers see the contest as a tossup, even though early polls show Brown ahead.

"Ohio's always been hard for Democrats," Pickrell said. "When Democrats have had statewide success, it’s always been close."

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Senate race at center of November 2024 elections