Ohio
What to know about Ohio Senate race between Sherrod Brown, Bernie Moreno
The race between Brown and Moreno is now the most expensive Senate race in the country and could end up being the costliest non-presidential contest on record
Election 2024: Ohio Senate race could decide US Senate control
The race between Sen. Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno will likely be the most expensive Senate race in the nation this year.
The biggest race on Ohio’s Nov. 5 ballot is that between Sen. Sherrod Brown and businessman Bernie Moreno.
Here’s what you need to know about the candidates and issues.
Who is Sherrod Brown?
Brown, a Democrat, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 after defeating then-Sen. Mike DeWine.
The senator presents himself as a fighter for the working class and focuses on issues such as trade, pensions and health care costs. He’s one of few Ohio Democrats to win recent elections, which supporters attribute to effective retail politics and his ability to reach independents and some Republicans.
Brown’s critics say he’s too liberal to represent a state that went for former president Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Read more here.
Who is Bernie Moreno?
Moreno, a Republican, built a chain of luxury car dealerships based in the Cleveland area before pivoting to the blockchain business. He defeated Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, in the March GOP primary with Trump’s support.
As a child, Moreno immigrated with his family from Colombia to the United States − a story he often recounts when discussing border security.
Throughout the campaign, Brown and his allies have criticized Moreno’s business practices and highlighted lawsuits that accused him of not paying overtime to employees.
Read more here.
Ohio at center of fight for Senate control
Brown is one of the most vulnerable Democrats on the ballot − second only to Montana Sen. Jon Tester − and the outcome in Ohio could determine which party controls a divided U.S. Senate. Hence the onslaught of ads you see on television.
Why does Senate control matter? It can impact who is appointed to federal courts and agencies, what kind of legislation gets passed and whether the party that wins the White House can advance its agenda.
Read more here.
What do Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno say about the economy, immigration?
The campaigns provided responses to questions about key issues in the race, including the economy, immigration and climate. Brown and Moreno declined to be interviewed.
Read more here.
Where do Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno stand on abortion?
Brown backs efforts to protect access to abortion, fertility treatments and birth control. He’s made abortion a central issue in the race after Ohioans voted last year to guarantee the right to reproductive health care.
Moreno previously advocated for a 15-week federal abortion ban and said he still supports that policy on a personal level. But as Republicans try to walk back their support for strict abortion bans, Moreno has said abortion should be regulated by states and called for better access to contraception, health care and adoption services.
Moreno also faced backlash for mocking older suburban women who prioritize abortion rights at the ballot box.
Read more:
How expensive is Ohio’s Senate race?
Republicans and Democrats have spent or reserved $441 million in the race between Brown and Moreno, according to the political ad-tracking firm AdImpact. It’s now the most expensive Senate race in the country and could end up being the costliest non-presidential contest on record.
One of the biggest spenders in the race is Defend American Jobs, a pro-cryptocurrency group that supports Moreno.
Other prominent ads came from the Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund, which used transgender health care and athletes to attack Brown. The senator is a staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights, but the ads didn’t paint a full picture of his record on those issues.
Read more here.
Why didn’t Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno debate?
The campaigns didn’t agree to any debates ahead of the election, despite receiving an invitation from the Ohio Debate Commission. In past reelection bids, Brown has debated his opponent multiple times.
Read more here.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — As concerns have grown over the impact of social media on young people, lawmakers are pushing to keep protections in tact to keep children safe online.
This week the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio’s law, the Social Media Parental Notification Act, requiring parental consent for children under the age of 16 to use social media must be restored. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the act into law in July 2023.
Netchoice, the trade group that represents Tik Tok, Snapchat, Meta and other tech companies contested Ohio’s law in 2024, arguing that it was overly broad, vague and represented an unconstitutional impediment to free speech.
“An unconstitutional law protects no one, and we remain focused on ensuring the First Amendment rights of Ohioans are protected,” Paul Taske, NetChoice Litigation Center Director said.
Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit’s panel does not agree with this view point, determined that the law is not unconstitutional and had the block on the law’s enforcement vacated.
“At bottom, the Act imposes a parental consent requirement,” Judge Eric Clay wrote. “That requirement constitutes a marginal burden that precisely targets the multi-faceted problem that Ohio has identified: Children’s unsupervised assent to terms and conditions for use of platforms that take advantage of and harm them.”
The Social Media Parental Notification Act is a way to protect children’s mental health against the “intentionally addictive” nature of social media, according to U.S. senator Jon Husted.
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson says the ruling is “a win for Ohio families.”
“The court agreed that parents –- not social media companies –- should get a say in what kids see online,” he said in a statement. “We have an obligation to keep our children safe, and today, the most dangerous place for our kids is the internet. This decision gives parents the tools to be involved and provide oversight.”
LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — When you think of wild animals in central Ohio, a black bear likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. That’s why one Licking County family said they couldn’t believe their eyes.
It was an average afternoon drive home for father and son, Justin and Aaron Rhodes, when something walked into the road in front of them.
“I didn’t even think it was real at first, so that’s why I had to do the double take,” Justin said.
Aaron said he thought it was “just a weird looking dog”.
To their disbelief, it was a bear. The sighting comes just one year after the animal was spotted in Licking County for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that they’re even around this area,” Justin said. “I’ve lived in this area for about 24 years now, so it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never seen one before.”
These sightings are becoming more common. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said the black bear population is growing in the state, and they expect those trends to continue. Ohio saw a record number of confirmed sightings in 2025.
Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said they are seeing more breeding females establish homes in the state, signaling the species is returning. Experts said the work restoring natural forest land is a big reason why.
“We’re starting to get some black bears coming in from neighboring states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky,” Krusling said. “They’re naturally crossing those state borders and coming back to Ohio because we have more of that habitat available to them, especially those forested areas.”
As the black bear population grows, the Division of Wildlife is expanding its research. They are putting radio collars on some bears they find in the state to help track data, such as if the bears are staying here, how far they’ve traveled and if they’re successfully having cubs.
“We’re trying to get quite a bit of data from these bears, and we’re super excited to see where this takes us,” Krusling said.
The research is in the beginning stages, but they expect population growth to continue, Krusling said.
Sighting reports can be submitted here to help the Division of Wildlife track black bear populations throughout the state.
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