Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) is throwing his weight behind business executive Bernie Moreno for Ohio's intensifying 2024 Senate GOP primary.
Moreno initially vied in the 2022 Ohio Senate primary before withdrawing and assisting Vance in the fiercely competitive brawl. He has endorsed former President Donald Trump for president in 2024 and embraced the MAGA wing of the party. Should he win, he will likely square off with incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
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"Bernie is committed to securing our southern border, getting tough on China, and taking the fight to the woke corporations waging war against our conservative values," Vance said. "It’s time to turn the tides on the establishment insiders who sell out our country to special interests and elect more political outsiders like Bernie."
Vance was subject to a crowded primary field in the 2022 election cycle and trailed his rivals, such as former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, before a late-stage Trump endorsement helped bring him into the lead. In the Senate, Vance has largely legislated as a populist.
A source familiar with Vance's thinking on the matter noted that the first-term senator views Moreno as "an ideological ally" and is eager to avert a repeat of the bruising primary he faced last cycle, especially given the opportunity to flip the Senate seat in 2024.
"JD is endorsing Bernie so early because he feels strongly about ensuring that we don’t see a replay of the type of bloody primary fight that he had to deal with last cycle, which left him with depleted resources going into the general election. He believes that Bernie is the candidate best positioned," the source told the Washington Examiner.
Trump has already commented on Moreno, describing him as a "highly respected businessman from the GREAT STATE of OHIO" who "would not be easy to beat." Moreno has a business record and history in auto sales and blockchains and has cast himself as an outsider.
"I’m honored to have earned the endorsement of Senator Vance. Not only is he a close personal friend, but as a fellow political outsider and entrepreneur, he’s shown that D.C. desperately needs new ways of thinking. When I win this race, I’ll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with JD in the Senate to fight for Ohio families," Moreno said.
The top issues on Moreno's platform include border security, the America First agenda, countering China on the world stage, undercutting the "unholy alliance of woke corporations and Big Government," targeting Big Tech, and stopping President Joe Biden's "radical Green New Deal policies."
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So far, his main rival is Republican state Sen. Matt Dolan, who finished third after Vance and Mandel in 2022 following a last-stage surge. Others, such as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), are also rumored to be mulling a run. LaRose is expected to get in soon, according to NBC.
Ohio appears to have tacked considerably to the right since Brown last defended his Senate seat in the 2018 blue wave year. Democrats have a 51-49 majority in the upper chamber, and Ohio is a top target for Republicans.