Bernie Moreno launches $25M ad buy as Ohio Senate race heats up

Democrats still outspend Republicans in this race.

Since winning the March primaries, Republican candidate Bernie Moreno is very quiet. Until now.

Five months after he first announced his intention to go on air, a massive advertising campaign has been launched. The $25 million ad buy will cover TV, radio and digital platforms, as well as mail, streaming, and other media.

His first message is immigration. The 30-second spot was shared with POLITICO first. It accuses Democratic Senator Sherrod of voting with radicals such as Kamala to provide undocumented migrants with taxpayer-funded stimulus payments, health care, and social security. The 30-second spot touts Moreno’s endorsement by former President Donald Trump, and promises that he will deport “illegals” and build the Southern Border Wall.

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Since the March 19th primary, where he defeated Matt Dolan and Ohio State Senator Frank LaRose, Moreno only spent $2 million in ads. This increasingly vicious race had left him with depleted finances, and he required time to regroup. This was one of the main reasons why national Republicans in this election cycle spent so much time and money to squelch messy primaries. Instead, they opted to maneuver to easily boost their preferred candidates to nomination. Ohio was the lone exception. Democrats interfered with the GOP primary in order to support Moreno, who was their favorite opponent. They have also spent or reserved $148 million on ads to support Brown, who is one of only two incumbents in the state where Donald Trump won.

Moreno will close the gap with his spending. AdImpact reports that Republicans have raked in $136 million from super PACs since the primaries. Moreno can purchase airtime at the lower candidate rate, and run more efficient ads.

Moreno had $4.4 million in his bank account at the end of June, but that won’t be enough to cover the costs for these ads. He won’t have to pay the full $25 million upfront to reserve these ads. Instead, he can pay for them as they air.

Since April, Brown has spent $43 million on ads. Democratic ads sought to discredit Moreno by portraying him as a sleazy salesman, rather than tie him to the national Republican Party that is becoming increasingly popular in Ohio.

Democratic incumbents and Senate candidates have also enjoyed a substantial fundraising advantage, which has allowed them to dominate the airwaves during key Senate races.

Super PACs have helped close the gap in seven of eight competitive Senate races. AdImpact, a tracking firm for advertising, reports that Democratic Senator Jon Tester in Montana has reserved $34.4 million for ads while Republican Tim Sheehy only has $10 million. In Nevada, Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen booked $28.7 millions compared to Republican Sam Brown’s $2.5.