REPLACING:
Sherrod Brown (D)
WORK HISTORY:
Bernie Moreno Companies (President); Dryver (Chairman); CHAMPtitles (Chairman); Infiniti of Coral Gables (President); Young Presidents’ Organization (Member); Maserati of Cleveland (President); Aston Martin Cleveland (Managing Partner); Cuyahoga Community College (Vice Chairman of the Board); Buick GMC of Beachwood (President); Porsche of North Olmsted (President); Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted (President); VW of Streetsboro (President); Nissan of Streetsboro (President); Mercedes-Benz of Burlington (President); Infiniti of Beachwood (President); Airport Infiniti (President); Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell (President); Airport MINI of Cleveland (President); Airport Acura (President); Airport Nissan (President); American Red Cross (Board of Directors); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Board Member); Lake Ridge Academy (Board Member); The Cleveland Foundation (Mentor, Innovation Lab); Herb Chambers Companies (Vice President); Saturn Corporation (Field Consultant, Customer Assistance Center); Automobile Magazine (Road Test Coordinator)
EDUCATION:
BBA, University of Michigan
CAMPAIGNED ON:
Empowering Parents to Make Education Choices; Securing America’s Borders, Stopping Amnesty and Destroying the Mexican Drug Cartels; Restoring the Integrity of our Elections; Massively Reducing Anti-Growth Regulations, Cutting Government Spending, and Ending Inflation; Beating Communist China; Supporting our Greatest Ally, Israel, and Fighting to Put a Stop to All Forms of Antisemitism in the United States, Especially on our College Campuses; Holding Big Tech Accountable and Breaking up Big Media; Protecting Moms, Protecting Families, and Protecting Life by Supporting a Ban on Late Term Abortions; Empowering Local Law Enforcement to Ensure Safe Communities; Vigorously Defending our Constitutional Rights, Especially the Second Amendment; Restoring American Energy Independence; Allowing Free Markets to Work; Enacting Term Limits For Members of Congress; Restoring American Manufacturing; Ending Wokeness and Cancel Culture; Ending Socialism in America
ON THE ISSUES
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:
Moreno supports restrictions on abortion access at the federal level after 15 weeks, while still maintaining he believes the issue should be “mostly” decided at the state-level. “My position on abortion is crystal clear. I am personally pro-life. I think we have freedom of religion in America, so we should be able to have our own personal religious beliefs,” Moreno said in an interview. Moreno’s position on abortion has shifted since 2022, when he stated he was “absolutely pro-life, no exceptions.” [i]
IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:
Moreno, who immigrated to the United States from Colombia at the age of 5, believes it should be mandatory for immigrants to learn English, and to block them from receiving government benefits for their first 10 years in the country. He has stated that the citizenship test should only be administered in English. Moreno has also said that he wants to bar people from asylum for life if they illegally cross the United States border, and that they must wait outside of the country while their asylum cases are decided. Moreno supports finishing building the wall at the Southern border and wants Mexico to agree to work with the U.S. military to “obliterate and wipe out the drug cartels.” [ii]
ECONOMY & JOBS:
Moreno has been highly critical of the Inflation Reduction Act. Moreno said in a statement, "Hardworking Ohioans are suffering under the record-high inflation created by Kamala Harris and Sherrod Brown. While he claims to fight for Ohio, families are unable to afford basic necessities. In November, we will send him packing and get our economy back on track." [iii]
TAXES:
Moreno said of President-elect Trump’s promise to use tariffs to repair the U.S. economy, “[Tariffs are] not going anywhere. We’re going to have a tax policy that punishes companies that ship our jobs overseas and a tax policy that rewards companies for bringing jobs back.” [iv] Moreno has stated that he will “immediately” introduce legislation to cap income tax for police officers at 5 percent. Moreno has said the money for such tax cuts can be recouped “easily” by cutting federal funding to states, cities and “rogue prosecutors” “not following the rules” when it comes to immigration laws. [v] Moreno opposes additional taxation and has criticized Democratic policies, saying, “Individual income tax collections up 29%, payroll taxes up by 13%, and cocorporate [sic] income taxes up 14% in fiscal 2021. Overall, the Federal government collected 21% more in taxes for a record $4.9 trillion. Despite this, Democrats want to tax more and spend even more!” [vi] Moreno has advocated for a significant reduction in federal debt. [vii]
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:
Moreno has stated a goal of “empower[ing] local law enforcement” after stating that he “will always support law and order.” Moreno has said that “demoralizing the police” is the goal of the “radical left.” Moreno has also focused on the judiciary, saying, “We need to ensure that hard-left judges cannot wash away hard-fought victories. That means confirming strong, principled jurists to the bench. We need to restore respect for law and order in this country, and respect for those who work every day to protect us.” [viii]
CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:
Moreno, whose background is in auto dealerships, supports the expansion of the fossil fuel industry and is critical of electric vehicles. “The whole point of the Biden-Sherrod Brown Green New Deal agenda is to force Americans into electric cars that they don’t want, by making gas-powered cars too expensive to afford,” Moreno wrote in a statement. “Ultimately, these radicals want to bankrupt America’s oil and coal economy.” Moreno has also listed “Restore American Energy Independence” as a priority on his campaign website. [ix]
FOREIGN POLICY:
Moreno is a strong supporter of Israel, and has stated that “America must allow Israel to prosecute the war in a way they deem appropriate to protect their citizens.”[x] In May 2024, Moreno stated that he believes the United States should withdraw from the United Nations due to, according to Jewish Insider, “its targeting of Israel and appeasement of Iran.” Moreno went on to say, “At this point in time, honestly, it’s time to have a conversation about the U.S. role in funding the U.N. I don’t believe we need to. I think we should stop funding it,” he continued. “I don’t think we need to be a part of the United Nations any longer. I think we should take that money and spend it on the real needs we have in America.” [xi]
HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:
Moreno has expressed a desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act. According to audio obtained by Ohio Dems, Moreno stated in a radio interview, “We would have replaced [the Affordable Care Act] had it not been for again, Republicans… It’s Republicans that go along with Democrats that block the conservative agenda.” Moreno has “criticized” the ACA, saying it has “zero to do with affordability” and “m[ade] health care much more expensive.” [xii]
DEMOCRACY:
Moreno has been critical in the past of President-elect Donald Trump’s actions prior to the January 6th attack on the Capitol. In January 2021, Moreno posted on X, “[Trump] deserves lots and lots of blame for this,” adding, “He didn’t calm tensions; no one (and certainly not me) has excuses [sic] that behavior.” Despite those comments and previously saying that there is “no scenario in which [he] would support Trump,” Moreno has since embraced the President-elect. In December 2021, Moreno released an ad in which he states, “President Trump says the election was stolen, and he’s right.” [xiii]
SOCIAL ISSUES:
Moreno has accused LGBTQ rights advocates of pushing a “radical” agenda of “indoctrination.” Moreno was endorsed by the anti-LGBTQ group Ohio Value Voters and accused his primary opponent Frank LaRose of backing a “radical trans agenda.” Moreno had reportedly expressed support for LGBTQ rights as recently as 2020, and his eldest son is gay, but he began to distance himself from those positions during his first Senate run in 2021. [xiv]
[i] “Moreno supports federal ‘common-sense restrictions’ on abortion after 15 weeks,” Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, September 1, 2024, available at https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4857898-ohio-bernie-moreno-abortion-restrictions/.
[ii] “Exclusive: MAGA’s immigrant enforcer,” Stef W. Knight, Axios, August 18, 2024, available at https://www.axios.com/2024/08/18/bernie-moreno-ohio-immigration-border-trump.
[iii] “Ohio GOP Senate candidate Moreno hits Brown on Inflation Reduction Act vote in ad that’s part of $25M buy,” Danielle Wallace, Fox News, October 3, 2024, available at https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ohio-gop-senate-candidate-moreno-hits-brown-inflation-reduction-act-vote-ad-thats-part-25m-buy.
[iv] “Bernie Moreno: Tariffs are ‘not going anywhere,’” Lauren Irwin, The Hill, November 6, 2024, available at https://thehill.com/business/4978124-bernie-moreno-tariffs-not-going-anywhere/.
[v] The GOP’s war on tax continues: Ohio Senate hopeful promises 5% cap for cops,” Joe Durbin, New York Post, September 24, 2024, available at https://nypost.com/2024/09/24/us-news/the-gops-war-on-tax-continues-ohio-senate-hopeful-promises-5-cap-for-cops/.
[vi] Bernie Moreno X Post, October 12, 2022, available at https://x.com/berniemoreno/status/1580292796329910272?s=20.
[vii] “U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno on economic, social policies and electric vehicles,” CBT News, December 5, 2023, available at https://www.cbtnews.com/u-s-senate-candidate-bernie-moreno-on-economic-social-policies-and-electric-vehicles/.
[viii] “Bernie Moreno on Crime,” OnTheIssues, accessed November 15, 2024, available at https://ontheissues.org/Domestic/Bernie_Moreno_Crime.htm.
[ix] “Ohio Senate Candidates Downplay Climate Action in Closely Contested Race,” Dan Gearino, Inside Climate News, September 29, 2024, available at https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29092024/ohio-senate-candidates-downplay-climate-action/.
[x] Bernie Moreno Instagram Post, October 7, 2024, available at https://www.instagram.com/berniemorenoforohio/p/DA1ES7qOHdH/.
[xi] “Bernie Moreno calls on the U.S. to leave the United Nations over Iran appeasement,” Emily Jacobs, Jewish Insider, May 22, 2024, available at https://jewishinsider.com/2024/05/bernie-moreno-calls-on-the-u-s-to-leave-the-united-nations-over-iran-appeasement/.
[xii] “New: Bernie Moreno Blamed Republicans for “Blocking” Effort to Repeal Affordable Care Act,” Ohio Dems, October 16, 2024, available at https://ohiodems.org/new-bernie-moreno-blamed-republicans-for-blocking-effort-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/.
[xiii] “Ohio GOP Senate candidate endorsed by Trump deleted tweets critical of the former president,” Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN, February 2, 2024, available at https://www.cnn.com/kfile-bernie-moreno-ohio-criticized-trump-deleted-posts/index.html.
[xiv] “Trump-Backed MAGA Senate Candidate Linked To Gay Hookup Site,” Tori Otten, TNR, March 15, 2024, available at https://newrepublic.com/post/179855/maga-senate-candidate-bernie-moreno-gay-hookup-site.