Moreno’s abortion comment rocks the debate in the expensive Senate race in Republican-heavy Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An off-the-cuff comment from Republican Bernie Moreno about reproductive rights in Ohio’s tight Senate race has put abortion at the center of the debate in this year’s most expensive Senate race. And that’s exactly what Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown wanted.

Moreno insists he was joking after a cellphone video emerged of him criticizing women whose voices are dominated by concerns about government involvement in abortion decisions.

“Sadly, by the way, there are a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women who say, ‘Listen, abortion is the right thing to do,'” Moreno said at a town hall in Warren County on Sept. 20. “‘If I “I can’t have an abortion at any time in this country, I’ll vote for anyone else.” OK. It’s a little crazy, by the way, but – especially for women who are over 50, I’m like, ‘I don’t think that’s a problem for you.'”

Brown and his allies pounced on the comment, which went to the heart of the Democrat’s bid for a fourth term representing the Republican-leaning state. A woman featured in a television commercial wondered why a 57-year-old man – Moreno’s age – running for Senate would do so when a 50-year-old woman does not have a strong commitment to abortion.

Even her Republican colleague Nikki Haley, the former presidential candidate, criticized Moreno as #ToneDeaf. “Are you trying to lose the election? I’m asking for a boyfriend,” she joked on X.

Brown has made abortion access a priority, and Moreno’s comments meant the campaign focused less on the economy and immigration, issues the Republican and his party would rather talk about.

Throughout the race, Brown has said he voted for and would honor an amendment that Ohioans overwhelmingly supported last year that enshrined people’s right to make their own reproductive decisions in the state constitution. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and down-voting Democrats are betting on the abortion issue to win votes in the first White House election since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade fell in 2022.

“The people of Ohio believe women should have the power to make their own health decisions, Bernie Moreno thinks he should,” Brown said in a statement. “As a man over 50, I care deeply about a woman’s right to make health care decisions for herself – for my daughters, my granddaughters and all women in Ohio, regardless of their age.”

Removing Brown is a Republican priority. With Democrats defending twice as many Senate seats as Republicans, a loss in Ohio would jeopardize the Democrats’ slim majority.

The most expensive Senate contest

Advertising spending topped $400 million in early October, making the Senate race the most expensive in the country to date, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending on advertising. That total includes a competitive Republican primary earlier this year.

In the general election, data shows Republicans spent more money than Democrats in the Brown-Moreno election. As of Friday, Republicans had spent about $188.4 million on advertising since the March 19 primary, compared to $159.7 million for Democrats. The parties and affiliated groups have reserved $68.5 million in additional advertising space through Nov. 5.

Moreno, a wealthy Cleveland businessman endorsed by Donald Trump, was undeterred by the controversy that erupted after his abortion comments surfaced. His campaign said the comment was made in a tongue-in-cheek manner and that Brown and Harris were the ones who disrespected women.

“Bernie’s view is that female voters care just as much about the economy, rising prices, crime, and our open southern border as male voters, and it’s disgusting that Democrats and their friends in the left-wing media constantly treat all women like this. “They’re automatic Voters who choose only a specific abortion issue and have no other issues on which they are voting,” spokesman Reagan McCarthy said in a statement.

Republicans have reason to be optimistic

Ohio Republicans have many reasons to be optimistic about the race. The former bellwether state has moved to the right and supported Trump twice by wide margins, and he is once again at the top of the list.

Trump’s support has carried weight in Ohio – from JD Vance, the first-time senator and Trump’s running mate, to Republican Rep. Derek Merrin, who prevailed in a messy primary against Marcy Kaptur, a longtime Democratic congresswoman. Trump’s support helped Moreno win a closely contested primary.

Republicans have criticized Brown on his record, claiming he voted to allow “biological men in women’s sports” and supported providing stimulus checks and federal benefits to immigrants who are in the United States illegally. Both claims hit the truth: Brown did not vote to allow transgender people to participate in women’s sports, but rather to prevent federal funding from being withdrawn from schools that allowed it, and the immigrant-related vote in question involved a nuanced one Question in legislation that already prevented stimulus checks for immigrants without legal status in the country.

Nevertheless, the attacks were repeated so often that they registered with voters.

“Bernie Moreno has quickly closed the gap with Sherrod Brown, even as Chuck Schumer and the D.C. Democrats spend millions hurling baseless smears and racist attacks at Moreno,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Philip Letsou said in a statement. The reference was to pro-Brown ads questioning the business dealings of some family members of Moreno, who was born in Bogota, Colombia.

Senate Majority PAC, an independent group allied with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, has reserved $65 million in advertising time in Ohio from Labor Day through the end of the campaign. The group’s president, JB Poersch, said Brown’s reputation, strong campaign and superior fundraising skills would help the veteran politician stand out at the top.

“We have a pretty big communications advantage in this state,” he said.

According to AdImpact data, more than 90% of Republican spending — except for $1.9 million for Moreno’s ad support — comes from outside groups.

Brown has raised $51 million for his own campaign account, compared to $15.3 million for Moreno, including $4.5 million that Moreno borrowed for his own campaign. The Republican said he has spent about $10 million of that so far, although his most recent campaign finance report has not yet been filed.

The Immigration Debate in Springfield

Republicans are expected to continue to link Brown to the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies, a major vulnerability for Democrats this year.

When the riots in Springfield, Ohio, occurred, Moreno tried to blame Brown and Harris by calling the “Haitian Invasion” a failure of the federal government to prepare before the number of Haitians arriving in the United States increased States could apply for temporary protected status was increased.

Brown did not name Trump and Vance, who put the city in the spotlight with baseless claims about Haitians eating pets, but he accused “people who play politics” of making things worse. At one point, state and local government offices and schools in Springfield were closed due to dozens of bomb threats.

Moreno, meanwhile, faced other challenges, including an Associated Press report about a profile created using Moreno’s email account on an adult website. Moreno’s attorney said the profile was created as a joke by a former intern.

The candidate retained Trump’s support after the report and won a coveted speaking spot at the Republican National Convention in July.

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