The Republican Bernie Moreno, a businessman who is backed by Donald Trump, has won the Republican nomination in Ohio for U.S. Senate. He will now face Sen. Sherrod (D) Brown at the general election.

The Associated Press announced the Republican Senate Primary at 8:35 p.m. ET, approximately 25 percent of votes were reported.

Moreno defeated State Senator Matt Dolan (R – OH) and Ohio Sec. of State Frank LaRose in the Tuesday contest. This was another MAGA victory over the GOP establishment.

FiveThirtyEight’s average polling showed LaRose in the lead in November. Dolan was second and Moreno third. Moreno’s surge began late in 2023, and on December 17 he received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. This was a huge blow to his opponents.

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Dolan has surged forward in recent weeks, after Moreno was able to jump into the lead. The Associated Press then published a smear against Moreno in a piece on March 13 that made the contours of this race unclear.

According to polling, the former president Donald Trump addressed a Buckeyes Values PAC event in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday. He praised his candidate, and slammed Dolan. This resulted in a big surge for Moreno.

A poll conducted by Emerson College on Sunday and Monday after the rally showed Moreno had a double-digit advantage over Dolan. The results were 38 percent to 29. The Emerson College-sponsored Nexstar poll released on March 13 showed a 15 point swing in Moreno’s favor.

Breitbart News explains that the Trump-backed candidate will now head to the general elections against a Brown who is vulnerable. This could be one of the best opportunities for the Republican Party to pick up a Senate seat in 2024.

In recent years, the Buckeye State has not seen many races that were favorable for Democrats. Ohioans voted for Republicans in the 2022 midterms, and they won every race. Sen. J.D. Vance (R – OH) beat former Rep. Tim Ryan – OH by six points. Gov. Mike DeWine won re-election with 25 points and LaRose won the race for secretary of state by 21 points.

In 2022, Republicans won with a resounding victory in the races for auditor, treasurer, and attorney general. Trump won Ohio by an average of eight points over Hillary Clinton, the twice-failed presidential nominee in 2016, and Joe Biden, President in 2020.

Ohio is among ten states in which Republicans can flip Democrat seats. In contrast, Democrats have the best chance of gaining a Republican seat in red states like Texas and Florida where incumbents such as Sens. Ted Cruz (R – TX) and Rick Scott are both up for reelection.