What to know about the Republican primary in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — In less than one week, Ohioans will select a Republicans nominee to face Sherrod Brown, the Democratic incumbent, in the race for U.S. Senate.

In Tuesday’s primary, state Sen. Matt Dolan, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and businessman Bernie Moreno will look to advance to November’s general election, with the race being key as Republicans and Democrats seek majority control of the upper chamber.

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There is no clear frontrunner in the race. An Emerson College poll last week that had a 2.6% credibility interval showed the following breakdown:

• Dolan: 25.5%

• Moreno: 22.8%

• LaRose: 15.9%

• Undecided: 32.4%

Here’s what to know before voting.

Matt Dolan

Dolan is considered to have the best shot against Brown. An early February poll showed him outperforming his primary opponents in a projected race with the incumbent, which was also the case in November polling. Dolan serves as chair of the finance committee in the state Senate and is part of the family that owns the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball. Recently, he was endorsed by Gov. Mike DeWine and former Sen. Rob Portman.

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Top issues Dolan has campaigned on include border security, advocating for a strong border to curb illegal immigration, and consistency, which he claims his opponents do not have. He has repeatedly targeted his opponents for backtracking on policy positions. And he has voiced his continued support for Israel and Ukraine in their conflicts and condemned the U.S. Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021.

Criticisms of Dolan include that he’s not a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump and that he’s too moderate of a Republican, even though he has said he would support Trump in November.

Despite performing well in recent polls, Dolan said he remains focused on one goal.

“Polls go up, polls go down,” Dolan said. “Our focus is making sure our message is spread about what I’ve been able to accomplish for Ohio, how I can beat Sherrod Brown and how I can get things done in Washington. It’s nice to see there’s a validation of the message but we understand the only poll that really matters is results coming out next Tuesday night.”

Frank LaRose

The candidate with the best name recognition before the race was LaRose, who has served as Ohio’s Secretary of State since 2019. He oversees state elections and appoints board of elections members in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, among other duties. LaRose’s most prominent endorsements come from political organizations: pro-gun groups Buckeye Firearms Association and A1S4 Protection PAC, and a dual endorsement from pro-life group Ohio Right to Life for him and Moreno.

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Top issues for the LaRose campaign have included the border, abortion and gun rights. On immigration, his website claims there is an “invasion of our southern border,” and he has previously supported military intervention in Mexico, including drone strikes. He has said that abortion policies need to be truly pro-life instead of “pro-birth.”

Opponents have said LaRose is a liar, called him out for rumored affiliation with No Labels, and said he flip-flops on positions.

LaRose said that polls show the race will be tight, leading to a final showdown on the night of the election.

“[The polls] show a pretty tight race where, really, it’s going to come down to the final argument,” LaRose said. “The other thing we see is a lot of undecided voters still and so I’m out here doing the job interview.”

Bernie Moreno

After earning the endorsement of Trump in December, Moreno saw increased support and gained an impressive array of high-profile endorsements. That included over a dozen senators, with J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) included. The political outsider became a multimillionaire with a successful line of car dealerships before becoming a tech executive.

A top issue for Moreno has been border security. In a debate, he said anyone in the country illegally will be deported in January, forecasting what’s to come with potential wins for him and Trump. He has also run on getting “career politicians” out of Washington.

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Criticisms made against Moreno include a variety of lawsuits from his past, featuring accusations of wage theft, discrimination and others, in addition to claims he has been inconsistent. Super PACs supporting his Republican rivals have launched whichbernie.com and berniesrecord.org, which point toward alleged inconsistencies.

Moreno said he believes he can win with a high turnout from Trump supporters.

“If the Trump base shows up, the people who care about this country, the America First conservatives, the constitutional conservatives show up, which I believe they’ll do, I think we’ll have this thing and we are going to win it,” Moreno said.

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