Rotunda Rumblings
Bernie Moreno’s win in the Ohio Republican U.S. Senate primary highlighted the influence of ex-President Donald Trump as a political kingmaker, overshadowing the clout of traditional Ohio GOP officeholders like Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Gov. Mike DeWine, and former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman. In this article, Jeremy Pelzer examines the lessons learned from Tuesday’s election results, emphasizing the need for “old guard” Republicans to adapt their campaign strategies in order to stay relevant in the future. Failure to do so could have serious consequences.
In his bid for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Ohio, Moreno executed a comprehensive strategy by winning every county in the state, surpassing state Sen. Matt Dolan and LaRose. His victory paves the way for a challenging race against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in the upcoming fall election. Curious about his performance across the state, Zachary Smith reveals that Moreno secured more than 50% of the vote in 39 out of Ohio’s 88 counties, representing nearly half of the state. Notably, he garnered over 60% of the vote in two neighboring counties, Mahoning (61.4%) and Trumbull (61.1%), situated in Northeast Ohio. On the other hand, Moreno received the least support in Morgan (40.4%) and Gallia (40.7%) counties, both located in southern Ohio.
