Sen. Sherrod Brown Holds 5 Times More Cash Than GOP Challenger Bernie Moreno

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) speaks at a press conference on the introduction of the Senate ETHICS Act outside of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on April 18, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

With the field set for one of the most watched races for Senate, incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) holds more than five times as much cash than his Republican Party rival.

On Nov. 5, 2024, Ohioans will pick between granting Mr. Brown a fourth term in the upper chamber or picking Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.

On March 19, the Buckeye State’s voters chose Mr. Moreno by a significant margin over Republican Party hopefuls Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Mr. Moreno was boosted by an endorsement from former president Donald Trump and outside spending from groups linked to Republican and Democratic Party donors.

Although the last survey was taken before the primary election, an East Carolina University (ECU) Center for Survey Research report pitting Mr. Brown against Mr. Moreno found a slight edge for the incumbent.

The ECU poll, published March 15, said the two candidates are close to the 3.2 percent margin of error. It found that 45 percent of respondents would vote for Mr. Brown, 41 percent would vote for Mr. Moreno, and the remainder would pick either a third-party candidate or are currently undecided.

Sherrod Brown

Mr. Brown, who’s served in both houses of Congress and the Ohio state government, enters the general election cycle with considerable cash on hand and support from numerous allied funds.

The largest group backing Mr. Brown, his principal campaign committee Friends of Sherrod Brown, reported it had more than $13.5 million in cash on hand when it issued its preprimary report on March 7 to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Between the beginning of 2023 and Feb. 28, Friends of Sherrod Brown raised about $26.7 million in total receipts. The committee has made about $16.6 million in disbursements.

Friends of Sherrod Brown received large transfers from a number of committees. The most significant come from the Ohio Grassroots Victory Fund.

According to FEC records, the nonqualified joint fundraising committee transferred at least $3.5 million to Friends of Sherrod Brown.

A number of other FEC-regulated PACs have chipped into Mr. Brown’s committee so far: Justice 2024, Senate Impact 2024, Senate OH & MT, Victory Now For Sherrod Brown, Wyden Fund For A Senate Majority, Blue Senate 2024, and The Liftoff Fund.

Given the importance of Mr. Brown’s seat in retaining a majority in the Senate, Mr. Brown can likely expect monetary help from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and committees focused on putting Democrats in the Senate, such as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the super political action committee Senate Majority PAC (SMP).

When the DNC and DSCC last disclosed their fundraising activities on March 20, they held about $26.5 million and $10.6 million in hand, respectively. SMP, which last issued a financial report on Jan. 31, had about $61.6 million on hand.

Bernie Moreno

Mr. Moreno entered the general election contest with considerably less money on hand than his Democrat opponent.

According to his latest financial statements, released on March 7, Mr. Moreno’s principal campaign committee, Bernie Moreno For Senate, had about $2.4 million in cash on hand on Feb. 28.

Bernie Moreno, Republican Senate candidate, speaks at the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County in Independence, Ohio, on March 19, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Between February 2023 and February 2024, Bernie Moreno For Senate had raised about $9.7 million and spent about $7.3 million. The committee also owes $4.2 million in debt to Bernie Moreno for Ohio, a committee affiliated with Mr. Moreno’s previous run for office.

The largest donor to Bernie Moreno for Senate is Team Moreno, a nonqualified joint fundraising committee that, according to its FEC records, is tied to national and Ohio Republican entities. The committee sent about $91,000 to Bernie Moreno For Senate in February.

A newly released statement of organization for Bernie Moreno For Senate, published on March 25, said the committee is now officially affiliated with Team Moreno, 2024 Republican Senate Victory, Cornyn Victory Committee, Moreno for OH Senate Republican Nominee, Majority Makers Fund, and Reclaim the Majority.

Those committees, which last reported their financial activities on Jan. 31, collectively had about $1.5 million in cash on hand at the end of 2023.

Like Mr. Brown, Mr. Moreno will likely see some financial backing from the Republican Party’s official party groups and outsider spenders with the same objectives.

The Republican National Committee, which could be more focused on the presidential race than down-ballot contests, reported on March 20 that it held about $11.3 million in cash on hand at the end of February.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, when it reported on March 20, said it had about $24.8 million on hand at the end of February. A super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, said it had about $35 million on hand at the end of 2023 when it issued its most recent report on Jan. 31.

Mr. Moreno is also very likely to see support from the conservative group Club For Growth. It has already endorsed him and spent to boost him in the primary contest.

In its most recent financial report, issued on March 20, the group’s super PAC, Club For Growth Action, said it had about $19.9 million on hand.