Bernie Moreno

Bernie Moreno (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Ohio. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2031.

Moreno (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Ohio. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Bernie Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia, and lives in Westlake, Ohio. Moreno graduated from Pine Crest High School in 1985. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1989.^[1] His career experience includes owning a car dealership and a business related to blockchain technology.^[2]

Moreno has been affiliated with the Blue Coats, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland State University, and InnovateOhio.^[3]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Ohio

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Ohio on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bernie Moreno (R)	50.1	2,857,383
		Sherrod Brown (D)	46.5	2,650,949
	Submit photo	Don Kissick (L)	3.4	195,648
		Tariq Shabazz (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	524
	Submit photo	Stephen Faris (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	84
	Submit photo	Nathan Russell (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	19
	Submit photo	David Pastorius (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	13

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,704,620
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

Incumbent Sherrod Brown advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Ohio on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sherrod Brown	100.0	535,305

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 535,305
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

Bernie Moreno defeated Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Ohio on March 19, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bernie Moreno	50.5	557,626
	Matt Dolan	32.9	363,013
	Frank LaRose	16.7	184,111

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,104,750
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Joel Mutchler (R)
Doug Stuart (R)

Endorsements

Moreno received the following endorsements.

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R)
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R)
U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R)
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R)
U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R)
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R)
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R)
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R)
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R)
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (Nonpartisan)
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R)
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R)
U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R)
U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson (R)
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R)
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R)
U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R)
U.S. Rep. Max Miller (R)
U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (Nonpartisan)
Gov. Richard Michael DeWine (R)
Lt. Gov., Ohio Jon Husted (R)
South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (Nonpartisan)
State Sen. Michele Reynolds (R)
State Rep. Tim Barhorst (R)
State Auditor, Ohio Keith Faber (R)
Ambassador Ric Grenell
Secretary of State, Ohio Frank LaRose (R)
State Treasurer, Ohio Robert Sprague (R)
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R)
Frmr. Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R)
Frmr. U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R)
Frmr. U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich (R)
Frmr. U.S. Amb. to Denmark Carla Sands (R)
Former President Donald Trump (R)
Associated Builders & Contractors of Ohio
Citizens United Political Victory Fund
Club For Growth PAC
Club for Growth
GatorPAC
Moms for America
Ohio Right to Life
Ohio Value Voters
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America
Turning Point Action
Kari Lake (R) - Frmr. Ariz. gubernatorial cand.
Vivek Ramaswamy (R) - Frmr. pres. candidate

Pledges

Moreno signed the following pledges.

Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Americans for Tax Reform

2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Ohio

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Ohio on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		J.D. Vance (R)	53.0	2,192,114
		Tim Ryan (D)	46.9	1,939,489
		John Cheng (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	702
		Shane Hoffman (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	403
		LaShondra Tinsley (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	362
	Submit photo	Stephen Faris (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	194
	Submit photo	Matthew Esh (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	78

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,133,342
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Shawn Mousourakis (Independent)
Chad Taylor (Independent)
Eric Meiring (Independent)
Samuel Ronan (Independent)
Dominic LaCavera (Independent)
Shannon Taylor (Independent)
Kelli Prather (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

Tim Ryan defeated Morgan Harper and Traci Johnson in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Ohio on May 3, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Tim Ryan	69.6	359,941
	Morgan Harper	17.8	92,347
	Traci Johnson	12.6	65,209

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 517,497
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Ohio on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		J.D. Vance	32.2	344,736
		Josh Mandel	23.9	255,854
		Matt Dolan	23.3	249,239
		Mike Gibbons	11.7	124,653
		Jane Timken	5.9	62,779
	Submit photo	Mark Pukita	2.1	22,692
		Neil Patel	0.9	9,873

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,069,826
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

To view Moreno's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Bernie Moreno did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Bernie Moreno completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Moreno's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

When he was fourteen years old, Bernie Moreno knew that he loved cars. He knew that he wanted to work with cars. So, he wrote a letter to the president of General Motors with suggestions for how to improve the company. The president of the company was so impressed with the ideas and the nerve of this teenager, that he actually wrote back. A few years later, Bernie Moreno became an intern. He worked his way up the ladder. Many years later, he would become one of the most successful car dealers in the United States of America–based right here in Ohio. Using his success in the car industry, Bernie Moreno became a leader in innovative companies that could help disrupt current tech monopolies. He also invested heavily in the community–hospitals, schools, and small businesses.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Running to Protect the American Dream: Bernie Moreno sees Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, the extreme left, their allies in the media, big tech, and universities push socialism at every turn. He sees them using Cancel Culture to completely silence us. That’s not why his parents risked it all to come to America. He’s fighting to protect the American Dream.
We must pursue policies that will lead to more (and better) jobs for Ohio’s workers. That is why we need to make sure our workforce is properly equipped with the skills it needs to ensure that every worker can succeed. We also need to get people back to work. Now. Policy makers wanted people to stay home and avoid the workplace during the pandemic, so they paid people to do so. This work disincentive will harm our workers in the long-term because when the stimulus unemployment benefits run out, displaced workers will have a harder time on a new job, as they will have lost valuable skills during their time away from work. Americans do not want to be dependent on government; they want to work and provide for their families.
Our nation’s Founding Fathers placed the First Amendment first because they knew how critical free speech is to our democracy and to our way of life. On multiple fronts, the First Amendment is now under attack from radical Democrats and the far left. We need to take immediate action to stop them from destroying this nation that we love. The Speech Police must be stopped. There used to be room for conversation, humor, and debate in this country. Now, if you dare to ask questions or disagree with leftist narratives you can be cancelled. Those who control speech control thought, and that’s just wrong. No one will fight harder than me against cancel culture.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I came from a country surrounded by Communists and Socialists who promised to give everyone all they needed and solve all their problems… just like the Democrats are doing today. Because they know the failure of their ideology, they have to rely on tactics such as silencing dissenting points of view, changing election rules, controlling people’s lives, and creating two sets of rules, one for the powerful and well connected, and one for everyone else. Sounds familiar? That is the exact opposite of American Democracy and the American Dream, and we can’t let it happen. This issue is deeply personal to me, so I guarantee you that no one will fight harder against the Socialist left.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Moreno submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on November 9, 2021.

July 24 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Bernie Moreno. When I was five years old, I (legally) came to America from a country surrounded by the ideology of socialist dictators. I learned the language. Worked really hard. Took over a struggling car dealership in Ohio. Found success. Started investing in Ohio schools, hospitals, non-profits, and people. Now (with your help) I may have the honor of representing the great state of Ohio in the U.S. Senate. That’s only possible because my Mom brought us to America. Now I see powerful elitists trying to ruin the first free place on earth. It scares me to death, and I have to fight back.

These days it seems like politics is all about saying the right lines and scratching the right backs. If you step out of line, you get destroyed. It’s a nasty business. But I live the American Dream. I have an amazing wife and four great children. I’ve got businesses and work that challenge me every day. If I don’t do my part to help save the American Dream, I’ll never forgive myself. (Plus, my wife says I can’t throw her stuff at the TV anymore.) I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll always tell you what I think–not what I think you want to hear.

The only way we save this country is if people from outside the rigged system step in. We have to stop socialism, attacks on our liberty, cancel culture, and corruption. The career politicians won’t stand up to the radical left. I will. That’s what I believe, and that’s why I’m running. If that interests you at all, then let’s keep talking.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Stop Socialism
End Cancel Culture
Term Limits

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The Chinese Communist Party is an existential threat.

Our elected leaders, of both parties, severely underestimated the threat from China. Donald J. Trump was right that China was our greatest threat. The Chinese Communist Party has all but declared war on America. They not only unleashed the coronavirus on the world, but they are also looking to unleash a greater threat—their socialist, fascist ideology.

If we don’t fight here and now, there’s nowhere left to go.

There is no other country that respects the sanctity of life, freedom and liberty, and religious independence like America. We are and have always been the last, best hope and we need to fight like hell to protect this.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Bernie Moreno has been married to the love of his life, Bridget Moreno, for more than thirty years. They have four children. Family has always come first, and he wants the next generation to grow up in a country where they too can achieve anything.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

As a child, Bernie Moreno boarded a plane for America with his mom, five brothers, and his sister. He came from a country surrounded by the socialist ideology of radicals like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. They promised to give everyone all they needed and solve all their problems. Now, Bernie Moreno sees the same threat rising here.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

When he was fourteen years old, Bernie Moreno knew that he loved cars. He knew that he wanted to work with cars. So, he wrote a letter to the president of General Motors with suggestions for how to improve the company. The president of the company was so impressed with the ideas and the nerve of this teenager, that he actually wrote back. A few years later, Bernie Moreno became an intern. He worked his way up the ladder. Many years later, he would become one of the most successful car dealers in the United States of America–based right here in Ohio. Using his success in the car industry, Bernie Moreno became a leader in innovative companies that could help disrupt current tech monopolies. He also invested heavily in the community–hospitals, schools, and small businesses.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The Chinese Communist Party is an existential threat.
Our elected leaders, of both parties, severely underestimated the threat from China. Donald J. Trump was right that China was our greatest threat. The Chinese Communist Party has all but declared war on America. They not only unleashed the coronavirus on the world, but they are also looking to unleash a greater threat—their socialist, fascist ideology.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Bernie Moreno sees Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, the extreme left, their allies in the media, big tech, and universities push socialism at every turn. He sees them using Cancel Culture to completely silence us. That’s not why his parents risked it all to come to America. He’s fighting to protect the American Dream.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Government is out of control.
We the people tell the government what they can do, not the other way around. We can’t be ruled by fear. We all need to listen to each other—but politicians need to listen to the demands of the people more than the people need to listen to demands from “the experts.” That’s true on every issue.

What do you think of the filibuster?

It is essential to retain the filibuster to preserve the need for bi partisan cooperation and rational public policy.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

Background, experience, track record of success, and strong adherence to our founding principles.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Moreno submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on July 24, 2021.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Bernie Moreno campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. Senate Ohio	Won general	$26,920,694	$26,388,505
2022	U.S. Senate Ohio	Withdrew primary	$6,864,603	$6,864,543
Grand total			$33,785,296	$33,253,047
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Bernie Moreno
Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Lindsay Hoipkemier ^source (Nonpartisan)	Anthony Wayne Local School District, At-large (2023)	General	–
Darbie Everhart ^source (Nonpartisan)	Dublin City Schools Board of Education At-large (2023)	General	Lost General
Ben Weber ^source (Nonpartisan)	Olentangy Local School District Board of Education At-large (2023)	General	Lost General
Erik Farley ^source (Nonpartisan)	Worthington Schools Board of Education At-large (2023)	General	Lost General
Leah Breakey ^source 1 ^source 2 (Nonpartisan)	Worthington Schools Board of Education At-large (2023)	General	Lost General

Notable ballot measure endorsements by Bernie Moreno
Measure	Position	Outcome
Ohio Issue 1, 60% Vote Requirement to Approve Constitutional Amendments Measure (2023) ^source	Support	Defeated
Ohio Issue 1, Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative (2023) ^source	Oppose	Approved

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. Senate Ohio

Officeholder

U.S. Senate Ohio

Website

Personal

Facebook

Instagram

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 24, 2021.
↑ Bernie Moreno for U.S. Senate, "About," accessed December 17, 2024
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on November 9, 2021

Political offices
Preceded by Sherrod Brown (D)	U.S. Senate Ohio 2025-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Ohio's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jon Husted (R)

Bernie Moreno (R)

Representatives

District 1

Greg Landsman (D)

District 2

David Taylor (R)

District 3

Joyce Beatty (D)

District 4

Jim Jordan (R)

District 5

Bob Latta (R)

District 6

Michael Rulli (R)

District 7

Max Miller (R)

District 8

Warren Davidson (R)

District 9

Marcy Kaptur (D)

District 10

Michael Turner (R)

District 11

Shontel Brown (D)

District 12

Troy Balderson (R)

District 13

Emilia Sykes (D)

District 14

David Joyce (R)

District 15

Mike Carey (R)

Republican Party (12)

Democratic Party (5)

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 24, 2021.

[2] Bernie Moreno for U.S. Senate, "About," accessed December 17, 2024

[bio2-3] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on November 9, 2021

[1]

[2]

[3]

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Bernie Moreno

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Ohio

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Pledges

2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Ohio

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Ohio

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

Campaign finance summary

Notable endorsements

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2024 Elections

2024 Election analysis

2025 Elections

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Services

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