Since Trump decided to run again, his campaign has been dubbed a battle of MAGA against the establishment.
Trump's measure will be taken after the endorsement of Bernie Moreno, who is running against Matt Dolan, who the GOP establishment firmly backs.
Talking Points…
- Moreno v. Dolan
- Trump endorsement
- Analysis
The Ohio GOP primary is setting itself up as the battle of the titans. This particular race will be a measuring stick going well beyond the primary race. State Senator Matt Dolan is running against Bernie Moreno.
Moreno is pushing the MAGA narrative, while the establishment is going all-in on Dolan. Dolan has a very questionable past, having previously served as a fellow for the Aspen Institute, which is funded by George Soros, and it has been described as a "mountain retreat for the liberal elite." Dolan has also called out those wanting to end the war in Ukraine as supporters of Vladimir Putin. He also tried to paint racism as a "public health crisis," pushing all the finer talking points of the Democrat Party. On the other hand, Moreno has the full backing of all key MAGA figures, including Donald Trump.
There have been several notable Republicans who had already backed Moreno in this primary race. Senators J.D. Vance (R-OH), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), Tex Cruz (R-TX), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have all gotten on this train already. Trump has also backed Moreno, announcing:
"It's time for the entire Republican Party to UNITE around Bernie's campaign for Senate, so that we can have a BIG victory in what will be the most important Election in American History. Bernie is the Father of wonderful Emily, the wife of outstanding young Ohio Congressman, Max Miller.
"Bernie is Strong on the Border, Crime, Cutting Taxes, Election Integrity, the Military / Vets, and will always protect our under siege 2nd Amendment. Bernie Moreno will be an outstanding United States Senator, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement—He will never let you down!"
Moreno, in turn, announced his endorsement of Trump, posting:
"We desperately need a strong President with the backbone to stand up to the political establishment in Washington DC, and will always put America First.
"That's why I'm proud to endorse Donald Trump for President in 2024."
Trump has also announced that he will attend a rally on Saturday for Moreno in Dayton, Ohio. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, one of the favorites to be picked by Trump as his vice president, has also announced that she will attend.
Ohio's primary race is set for March 19, but that is not the only way this showdown will be judged. Winning the primary race is only half the battle, as you need to win the general election to make this count.
Current polling has Moreno slightly ahead of Dolan, with the most recent Emerson College poll giving Moreno the nod at 26-23%. Whoever wins this primary will be facing off against Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who has had this seat since 2007. Moreno has some work to do in general election polling, as he is currently trailing Brown 43-37% in the SurveyUSA poll and 39-34% in the Emerson College poll.
This is one of those key seats that will measure just how much influence Donald Trump has when he is going up against an established Democrat in a battleground state. These are the endorsements that mean the most because they are the measuring stick of how all conservative voters feel about Trump's candidates, not the ones in deep red territories that are an automatic win.
Trump has everything on the line in this upcoming election, including his future as the party's kingmaker. If we do not take back the Senate, keep the House, and win the White House, this election, at least in my eyes, will be yet another failure of the GOP, and sweeping changes will need to be made to flip the script in 2028 so we can start to take back control of this government from Democrats.
