Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown’s lead over his three Republican challengers has narrowed since November anywhere from 2 to 8 points, according to a Thursday poll.
Brown was leading businessman Bernie Moreno by 10 points, Secretary of State Frank LaRose by 5 points and state Sen. Matt Dolan by 3 points in Emerson College’s last poll on the Ohio Senate race. The senator is now ahead of Dolan by only 1 point and has a 2-point advantage over both Moreno and LaRose for potential head-to-head general election matchups, according to Emerson College’s January survey.
While 42% of GOP primary voters remain undecided, the poll found Moreno leading the Republican field with 22% support, followed closely by LaRose at 21% and Dolan at 15%. Moreno, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, grew his support by 12 points for the Republican primary on March 19.
“I’m grateful for the support that our grassroots-driven campaign is getting across Ohio,” Moreno said in a statement. “Republicans in every corner of our state know that I am the candidate with the message and resources to unite our party and defeat Sherrod Brown in November, and I look forward to continuing to share our America-First message across our state.”
Brown’s seat, which he’s held since 2007, is characterized by The Cook Political Report as in the “Toss Up” category along with other contentious Senate races in Montana and Arizona.
Brown out-raised all of his GOP challengers in the fourth fundraising quarter, where he brought in $6.6 million in total receipts, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing. The senator entered the election year with $14.6 million cash on hand.
The senator’s campaign will go up with its first television advertisement of the 2024 cycle on Thursday, according to Medium Buying. Brown reserved $316,000 worth of ads through Feb. 5.
LaRose reported the largest sum during the time period of the Republican candidates with $812,539, compared to Moreno‘s $800,295 and Dolan‘s $357,652, according to FEC filings. However, Dolan and Moreno had far more campaign cash by the end of the year with $4.8 million and $2 million, respectively.
“Ohioans are struggling under the failed policies of Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden,” Ben Kindel, spokesperson for the LaRose campaign, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “They want a battle-tested conservative like Frank LaRose who will actually fight for them in Washington.”
The survey also found Trump leading President Joe Biden 47% to 36% among Ohio voters. Both men continue to lead their respective party fields in the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average, while Trump is ahead of Biden by 1.7 points for a potential head-to-head matchup in November.
The Emerson College survey polled 1,844 registered voters in Ohio between Jan. 23 and Jan. 25 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3%.
The Brown, Moreno and Dolan campaigns did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Mary Lou Masters on February 1, 2024
