Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno has announced that his campaign has raised $4 million by the end of the third quarter, with $3 million of that amount coming from his own pocket.
Moreno, a wealthy businessman from Cleveland who has garnered praise from former President Donald Trump, revealed that he currently has about $5 million in cash on hand. These figures were provided in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital ahead of the Oct. 15 disclosure deadline with the Federal Elections Commission.
Moreno's announcement makes him one of the first major Senate Republican candidates to disclose his campaign haul for the third quarter, which spans from July 1 to Sept. 30. In the second quarter, Moreno reported raising nearly $2.3 million. This is Moreno's second bid for the U.S. Senate, following a short-lived primary run in 2022.
In a statement, Moreno expressed his pride in the campaign's fundraising efforts, stating, "I am proud of the more than $1.1M in fundraising our campaign has done this quarter, and proud to put my own skin in the game with an initial investment of $3M. Our campaign is in the strongest position to win the primary and beat Sherrod Brown next fall. I'm grateful for the support of Ohioans in every part of this state, and look forward to fighting alongside them in this campaign, and for them in the U.S. Senate."
Former President Trump, who has played a significant role in endorsing candidates in the midterms, praised Moreno in an April post on TRUTH Social. However, he has not yet endorsed a candidate in the 2024 race. Trump wrote, "Word is that Bernie Moreno, the highly respected businessman from the GREAT STATE of OHIO, and the father-in-law of fantastic young Congressman, Max Miller, is thinking of running for the Senate. He would not be easy to beat, especially against Brown, one of the worst in the Senate!"
Senator J.D. Vance, a prominent ally of Trump, endorsed Moreno in May, stating, "Thrilled to endorse Bernie Moreno for senate. Hes a good friend, a job creator, and will be a fantastic senator. Wed make a hell of a team!" Vance's endorsement adds to Moreno's growing support within the Republican party.
In addition to Moreno, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Senator Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, are also competing for the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown. Roll Call has identified Brown as one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the 2023 election.
Both Moreno and Dolan have the ability to self-fundraise by tapping into their personal fortunes. In the 2022 race, Moreno reported self-financing of over $3 million, according to Politico. Moreno's campaign revealed that he has now raised more than five times the amount raised by his closest competitor, Dolan, from donors in his first two full fundraising quarters. Furthermore, Moreno's second fundraising quarter has surpassed the amount he raised from donors in the second quarter of his 2022 campaign by nearly $500,000, according to his campaign.
With his substantial fundraising and growing support within the Republican party, Bernie Moreno is positioning himself as a formidable candidate in the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Ohio. As the campaign progresses, Moreno aims to secure victory in the primary and ultimately defeat incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown in the general election.
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