CLEVELAND — One of the most closely watched U.S. Senate races in the nation is here in Ohio tonight as incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown looks to hold off GOP challenger Bernie Moreno. Who is the winner? Election results are still pending as the polls recently closed throughout Ohio at 7:30 p.m. We will update this article as soon as we have the final outcome from voters.
What is at stake with tonight's race? The result of Brown vs. Moreno may very well decide which party will have control of the U.S. Senate for at least the next two years. Coming into Election Night, the Democrats hold a 51-49 Senate advantage, a split that includes independent senators who caucus with Democrats.
Brown is seeking election to his fourth term in the Senate. The 71-year-old currently serves on four Senate committees, including chairman of the powerful Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. He has positioned himself as an advocate for Ohio workers, most recently encouraging the Biden administration to stop the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, believing the sale "will make it much more difficult for the U.S. to bring trade cases in support of U.S. steelworkers and take action against bad actors."
Although Brown is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to defeat Trump for president, he raised several eyebrows by opting not to attend the Democratic National Convention in August.
The 57-year-old Moreno came back this year for his second attempt at winning the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate after falling short in 2022 to JD Vance. This time, he had the backing of the most influential Republican in the nation: Former President Donald Trump.
With Trump's support, Moreno defeated Ohio State Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to capture the Republican nomination in the March primary. Moreno, in his election night speech in Cleveland, called for party unity while praising Trump. He also set the tone for the fall campaign against Brown with a pledge to "retire the old commie."
During a town hall in September, Moreno gained national attention in a viral video where he questioned why suburban women would singularly focus on abortion.
"The left has a lot of single-issue voters," Moreno said. "Sadly, by the way, there's a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women, that are like, 'Listen, abortion's it. If I can't have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.' OK, a little crazy, by the way, but especially for women that are, like, past 50. I'm thinking to myself, 'I don't think that's an issue for you.'"