Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno has narrowed his once-significant lead over the Democratic incumbent to a tie in Ohio with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
Mr. Brown has fought through both a painful primary and tens of millions of attacks from Brown in the most expensive Senate race this cycle.
A new internal poll by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) shows Moreno tied with Brown at 46%. the hill report.
The same poll in April showed Moreno trailing Brown by seven points.
Republicans rushed to support Mr. Moreno in the increasingly red state, outspending Democratic groups by $41 million in September alone ($91 million to $50 million).
That spending paid dividends. Brown's approval and disapproval ratings now stand at 45%, according to the NRSC poll.
Those numbers were 49-36 percent in April, when Brown held a vanishing lead over Moreno.
Mr. Moreno's trajectory is similar to that of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who steadily gained support despite trailing his Democratic rival in another primary.
Vance ultimately defeated former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) by 6.5 percentage points.
Polling and spending trends emboldened Republicans.
“Mr. Brown is going to be at a lot of wear and tear going forward, and the polls are already trending against him,” said a Republican operative who worked on the campaign in Ohio. the hill. “Ohio is one of those annoying states where voters don't tell you what they're going to do until late.”
Mr. Moreno has an advantage over Mr. Vance: Donald Trump's name will appear on the ballot. Trump won the state by 8 percentage points in 2016 and 2020 and is expected to lead the state again, drawing supporters to the polls who may not have participated in the 2022 midterm elections. It will drive you to.
“Sherrod Brown has spent nearly $50 million on the airwaves, yet he remains below 50% in every poll,” said Moreno campaign spokesperson Regan McCarthy. . the hill. “While Brown is raising money with Hollywood elites, Bernie is criss-crossing Ohio, winning every vote.” I'm tired of it. [President Biden]Harris, and Brown have been created over the past three and a half years, and Brown's packaging will ship on November 5th. ”
Ohio is one of two red states that Democrats must hold this cycle. In Montana, incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (R-Mont.) is trailing Republican challenger Tim Sheehy by seven points.
And in West Virginia, Sen. Joe Manchin (R-WV) retired, handing the state over to Republicans.
The Republican Party is doing well in battleground states, buoyed by President Trump's support. They especially want to unseat incumbents in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada, and win open seats in Michigan and a handful of other states.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News' Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
