$440 million. That is how much is being spent on what is being called one of the most watched political campaigns in the country. So why is one race to become a senator in Ohio becoming one of the most important in the country?
The current balance of the Senate is in favor of Democrats, with a 51 to 49 majority. With an almost even split, this race could decide which party will have the majority for the following two years.
“This will be an interesting indicator this year. If Sherrod Brown were to lose the race, it would potentially make Ohio, at least in the Senate, red for a while – unless we see changes with the Issue One ballot initiative to pass that would change how redistricting is,” said Adam Haynes, Delaware City Council member and government teacher. “Just to clarify, redistricting does not impact the Senate because every state gets two representatives, but looking at the makeup overall, if people feel that their vote doesn’t matter and they’re in the party of the minority of their state, then they may not come out to vote for the other races.”
On Nov. 5, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown will attempt to defend his position in a tight race against successful Cleveland car salesman Bernie Moreno.
Brown has experience in politics; Moreno, on the other hand, is new to this field. “Through seven terms in the House and three terms in the Senate, Sherrod has established himself as one of the highest-character, most trustworthy members of Congress, who does what he says he will and works with both Democrats and Republicans to get things done for Ohio and the country,” said Communications Chair Don Swartwout of the Delaware County Democratic Party of Ohio in a Talisman interview.
Moreno is new to politics, being a successful businessman from Cleveland who immigrated from Colombia with his family as a child. The salesman has run on a platform of a rags to riches story; however, some refute this.
“He comes from one of Colombia’s well-off families, whose wealth goes back generations and whose members recycle through senior government jobs,” said Philip Chicola, a retired U.S. diplomat, in an interview with Associated Press.
With the importance of this race for control of the Senate, important figures have publicly supported who they want elected. In a recent Moreno ad, clips of JD Vance and Donald Trump praising him were used.
“We love Ohio, and we love Bernie Moreno,” said the former president in a December speech of last year. This endorsement from Trump is vital to Moreno, as Trump won a large majority in Ohio during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
The support from Trump has been criticized by many Democrats, who believe Moreno has been riding the endorsement rather than bringing his own expertise.
“Sherrod is his own man,” Swartwout said. “Moreno is all about Trump.” Others accuse Moreno of switching up his stances to gain support due to his previous critics of Trump.
Brown, on the other hand, has distanced himself from mainstream democrats.
“Interestingly enough for Sherrod Brown, he has actually distanced himself from the incumbent president Joe Biden as a democrat because he’s trying to win over a state that’s more mixed between conservatives and liberals,” Haynes said. “Speaking engagements in his commercials have tried to appeal to conservatives and independents by saying ‘I’m fierce on combating with China trying to reduce the competition.’”
Much of the ongoing debate in this race has been about reproductive rights. These rights have been extremely important to Ohioans in recent years. On Nov. 7 of 2023, an initiative by Ohio voters expanded abortion rights in the state with a 56% majority vote.
“Sherrod supports reproductive freedom,” Swartwout said. His views on how Moreno treats these rights are vastly different.
“Two years ago, Moreno said his stance is ‘absolute pro-life, no exceptions.’ More recently, he called abortion a ‘heinous crime[ …] certainly not health care,’” Swartwout said of Moreno. “He also scoffed at women over 50 who support reproductive freedom, as if their concern for daughters, granddaughters, nieces, friends and co-workers was somehow illegitimate.”
The importance of this race has led to organizations and coalitions spending vast amounts of money to support which candidate’s policies best fit their agenda. Sitting Senator Brown has reportedly received his largest donation from individuals associated with the Ohio State University, with them giving him $246,934 during the 2024 cycle.
In contrast, GOP candidate Bernie Moreno has received his greatest donation from WinRed ($2,896,837), a fundraising platform formed to raise funds for conservative candidates.
Many disapprove of this lobbying from the education industry, which has been growing over the years. Tens of millions are being spent in what is normally support for liberal candidates. “I think it’s really stupid that universities can be involved in politics,” junior Lincoln Beachy said. “They should only be allowed to stick to education.”
With increased pressure to win, this race has become one of the most expensive in America. According to the nonprofit Open Secrets, Senator Brown has raised 89 million dollars during 2024 while Moreno has raised over 24 million. This does not include dark money, which accounts for a large portion of money raised in political campaigns.
According to the most recent polls from October 19-22, Moreno currently leads by 2% with 49% of the vote, compared to Brown’s 47%. This is a contrast from early polls, where Brown mostly held majority support.
Whether you support Brown, Moreno, or neither, one thing can be taken away from this race: the importance of voting. With 49% of registered voters in Ohio voting last year, many refuse to act on their Constitutional right to suffrage. The ability of one State in the heart of the Midwest to potentially determine the senate majority for the following two years proves the importance of voting. If Ohioans want to see their views seen, then they will not avoid this important election.