Bernie Moreno, a businessman and GOP candidate to running to replace retiring Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), announced on Tuesday a massive fundraising haul to end the quarter totaling $2.25 million.
Moreno’s donations outnumber the totals of his opponents on both the Republican and Democratic side. The closest candidate was Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), who is running largely unopposed.
According to Moreno’s press release, the closest Republican challenger was Josh Mandel, who brought in approximately $1.5 million — trailing Moreno by almost $1 million. Candidate Mike Gibbons will report a total of $6 million; however, Gibbons infused $5 million of his own money.
Furthermore, Moreno’s dramatic lead is composed of relatively small donations, as he raised the funds without accepting any money from corporate PACs and without any personal investment.
“People across Ohio are responding because we’re the only candidate that’ll stand up to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s socialist agenda of critical race theory, open borders, and defunding the police. I was born in a country surrounded by the ideology of socialism and I had the opportunity to live the American Dream. I’ll protect that dream for others, and protect the achievements of President Trump. This is just the beginning,” Moreno said in a statement announcing his numbers.
Moreno’s campaign has close ties to President Trump’s former advisors. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former advisor and campaign manager, serves as Moreno’s Senior Advisor. And, Ric Grenell, Trump’s Ambassador to Germany and former Director of National Intelligence, runs Moreno’s National Steering Committee.
“Conservatives across Ohio and across the country have overwhelmingly selected the outsider, Bernie Moreno. Career politicians are struggling to convince Ohioans that they can represent them in Washington, DC. People want to know that their candidate isn’t going to cave to the pressure of lobbyists and reporters. And Bernie Moreno has shown early on that he isn’t interested in lobbyists’ support or the approval of the media,” Grenell said of Moreno.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Bernie Moreno” by Bernie Moreno.
