Former President Donald Trump was seen to have been instrumental in Bernie Moreno’s decision to suspend his campaign, one of about a dozen major GOP contenders. The Republicans struggle to succeed retiring GOP Senator. Rob Portman is a major battle for the support of most of the top candidates in order to show their loyalty and support Trump’s hopes of winning his endorsement.
Moreno is a Cleveland-based businessman who also owns a luxury auto dealership. He spent over $4 million in the past two months to buy TV ads to boost his Senate bid. After asking for and holding a private meeting, Moreno suspended his bid.
“I am not a politician, I am a businessman. Business leaders see patterns before they occur. We spoke with President Trump and agreed that this race had too many Trump candidates. This could result in the MAGA losing a conservative seat,” Moreno said in a Thursday night statement.
In a statement, Trump praised Moreno for doing so much “for Ohio” and “loves his State and the great MAGA Movement”. This will ensure that the MAGA Ticket is a big winner across the country. Bernie, thank you for your support. Keep fighting!
With three months until Ohio’s May 3, primary, Moreno’s departure doesn’t stop the court press by other top contenders to boast their Trump credentials in the hopes of landing Trump’s backing. This would be a game-changer in a party where Trump is still the most popular and powerful politician.
The rest of the large group includes Josh Mandel, former Ohio treasurer, and former two-time Senate Candidate; Jane Timken, former Ohio GOP chair; and Mike Gibbons (2018), 2018 Ohio Republican Senate Candidate, a Cleveland entrepreneur, and real estate developer; and J.D., best-selling author, and venture capitalist. Vance. Vance.
It’s a costly affair to fight in Ohio’s intra-party war. Gibbons spent $4 million to fund Moreno’s campaign, while Dolan contributed more than $10 million. Timken also spent a few million.
Club for Growth Action, an external group that supports Mandel, has freely spent money in the race against rival candidates. A super-PAC that supports Vance was funded by a $10 million contribution from Peter Thiel, a PayPal co-founder and billionaire venture capitalist.
Fox News reported that the Ohio Democratic Party said Moreno’s departure was “only a reminder of how Ohioans have made this chaotic primary ugly and chaotic by focusing on out-of-state endorsements rather than focusing on Ohioans.”
Michael Beyer, the spokesperson for the campaign, stated that in order to stand out, out-of-touch millionaires would be forced to assume unpopular positions and create nasty feuds that could harm anyone who emerges from this clown car Republican primaries.
Comparable to the GOP slugfest, the Democratic Senate primary was a tame affair.
Tim Ryan, long-serving Democratic Representative from northeastern Ohio, is the front-runner in an elite field of candidates that also includes progressive Morgan Harper (a former senior adviser to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 2020 congressional candidate).
The winner of the GOP primary election will be likely to be the favorite in November’s general elections in Ohio. Ohio is a former battleground state where Trump won eight points in his 2016 presidential election as well as his defeat in 2020.