by Mary Lou Masters
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan endorsed Republican businessman Bernie Moreno, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, on Monday in the 2024 GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Moreno is one of three prominent Republicans vying to oust the vulnerable Democrat in November, alongside state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Jordan, a congressman from the state, threw his support behind Moreno alongside Trump and Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, and said in a statement that Moreno is a “true America First conservative” and “political outsider.”
I'm honored and humbled to earn the endorsement of America First patriot @Jim_Jordan.
Jim knows that to save America, we must retake the Senate. That's why so many conservatives are uniting around our outsider campaign to finally retire Sherrod Brown. Time to put America First! pic.twitter.com/aVn3vQN5TV
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) January 8, 2024
“I’m proud to stand with President Trump and Senator Vance in endorsing Bernie Moreno for U.S. Senate,” Jordan said in a statement. “Bernie is a true America First conservative, and will make us proud in the U.S. Senate. Our country needs common sense conservative fighters now more than ever. Bernie is a political outsider who has lived the American Dream. His perspective, his grit and his conservative values will serve Ohio well in the U.S. Senate.”
Brown’s seat is characterized by The Cook Political Report as in the “Toss Up” category, along with other contentious Senate races in Montana and Arizona. With Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s retirement, and his seat moving to the “Solid R” column, Republicans only need to flip one other seat to gain a majority in the upper chamber.
“I’m honored and humbled to earn the endorsement of America First patriot [Jim Jordan],” Moreno wrote on X. “Jim knows that to save America, we must retake the Senate. That’s why so many conservatives are uniting around our outsider campaign to finally retire Sherrod Brown. Time to put America First!”
While the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has recruited candidates in several red and battleground state races, the campaign arm is remaining neutral in Ohio.
Polling for Brown’s race largely suggests he’s more vulnerable against some Republicans than others, according to FiveThirtyEight’s survey compilation. The most recent poll, conducted by Emerson College and released in mid-November, found that Brown led Moreno by 11 points, LaRose by 5 points and Dolan by 3 points.
The primary has already become an expensive race as the candidates seek to compete with Brown’s reported $11.2 million in the bank. Moreno has brought in $6.4 million so far compared to Dolan‘s $8.8 million, while LaRose, who most recently jumped in the race, has raised more than $1 million.
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Mary Lou Masters is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
