When Donald Trump Jr. took the stage in downtown Mount Vernon last week, he didn’t hesitate for a second before explaining why he was there.
“A lot of people, even the campaign people, say, ‘Don, why are you going to Ohio? It’s not a swing state. It’s MAGA country,’” Trump Jr. told the crowd. ‘And that is true. But the reality is this: We need a slew of Republicans to help my father.”
Trump Jr. and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, were among a series of surrogates who stormed Ohio last week to get Sens. Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno across the finish line.
Former President Bill Clinton will join Brown and other Ohio Democrats for a rally in Cleveland on Monday.
The visitors underscored the high stakes of a $467 million race that is now the most expensive non-presidential race ever, according to AdImpact.
On a national scale, the outcome in Ohio could determine which party controls a closely divided Senate. And whether Brown secures a fourth term will portend what the future holds for Ohio Democrats, who have seen the state turn redder in recent elections.
“Sherrod Brown gets it,” Beshear told fans in Cincinnati. “He understands that in this divided country, in this country where you are always told to take a side – he, like me, runs as a proud Democrat – but the moment he wins, he takes off that hat and serves every citizen. of Ohio.”
Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno make final pitch to voters
Both Brown and Moreno relied on familiar formulas in the final days of their campaigns.
For Moreno, that meant traveling across the state on a big red bus showing support for former President Donald Trump, accompanied by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and conservative media personality Tucker Carlson. During his stops, he argued that McDonald’s is a luxury in today’s economy and called for the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Moreno also defended himself against lawsuits accusing him of failing to pay overtime to workers at his car dealerships, which Democrats highlighted during the race. A recent video from Brown’s campaign featured a former Moreno employee calling the Cleveland businessman an “opportunistic individual.”
“He wants to attack me because I’m a car dealer,” Moreno told reporters in Columbus. “Let me tell you what car dealers understand: that the customer rules, that the customer is in charge, that the customer is always right. … In politics, the voter is in the basement, and the politician places himself above it.’ I’m going to change that.”
For his part, Brown used his time to court black voters in Ohio’s largest cities and to visit union halls that have anchored his political career. At United Steelworkers Local 2L in Akron, Brown pledged to “always fight hard for the middle class and for the workers” and said special interest groups are trying to orchestrate his defeat.
“Their enormous amount of money makes this race closer than it should be,” Brown said.
Brown and his allies hope abortion rights will energize voters across the state, especially in competitive areas like Delaware County, near Columbus. Moreno has drawn criticism for mocking older suburban women who view abortion as a major issue and said the Founding Fathers would “kill you” for supporting access to the procedure.
In Cincinnati, Brown touted endorsements from Republicans, including former Gov. Bob Taft, and argued that his opponent’s “hostility toward women” is part of the reason for their support.
“That contrast is so clear,” Brown said. “That’s why we’re going to win this race.”
Akron Beacon Journal reporter Derek Kreider contributed.
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Sherrod Brown, Bernie Moreno make final pitch in Ohio Senate race
