Moreno Bernie Ohio

---

YIKES 11 24

see crypto dark $ took out Sherrod Brown

loomer kirk flynn

core civiv PIC

SHERROD IS RUNNING AGAIN

7 26

TOOK 5 ~ PERJURY TRAP B/C PARDON

MORENO ORIG STORY HS FBALL MOM ARESTED OUTSIDE WHO F THINK YOU AR; QUIT JOB TO RUN

RAND PAUL WFB?

HAWLEY?

=-==

Alecia Kitts was an Ohio mother tased and arrested at a middle school football game, involving a mask mandate dispute, criminal trespassing, and resisting arrest. On September 24, 2020, in Logan, Ohio, she refused to wear a face covering citing asthma, which led to a physical confrontation and her removal by a school resource officer. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Incident Details

Date: September 24, 2020
Location: Logan High School Stadium in Logan, Ohio
Trigger: Refusing to wear a required mask or leave the stadium
Force Used: Stunned with a Taser on her shoulder and handcuffed [1, 2, 3, 4]

Court Resolution

Charges: Criminal trespassing and resisting arrest
Plea: No contest entered in September 2021
Penalties: Fined $200 for resisting arrest and $150 for criminal trespassing, plus court costs [1]

GOV DEWINE SUPPORT SCHOOL COP SMITTY aa AS DID PPL? LT GOV PLAN TO WEAR MASKS TO ALLOW EVENTS

KAREN? DUDE IN STANDS WHERE'S YOUR MASK SHE YELLED AT HIM

ROLL CALL 2024

Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio

Bernie Moreno, a political outsider and former car dealer, doesn’t have a policy background on health care.

His platform is light on health care issues except he highlighted his support for “a ban on late-term abortion,” a term that he did not define. He said in an interview with The Hill that he supports “common-sense restrictions” after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Moreno received blowback in the waning days of the election cycle joking about suburban women older than 50 who support abortion rights.

Moreno has said he doesn’t want to repeal the 2010 health care law but would like to give states more responsibility for Medicare and Medicaid.

-=-=

AN 8 26

Republicans appear to be realizing that President Donald Trump's claims that "affordability" is a "con job" aren't winning messages for the GOP as the November 3 election nears.

Writing for The New Republic on Tuesday, Alex Thomas explained that for years, critics have claimed that Republican economic policies aren't working for the vast majority of Americans. Some have gone so far as to claim that it's outright hollowing out the middle class.

Vice President JD Vance appeared on Joe Rogan's show, where he complained that Republicans allowed Wall Street to turn “every asset of modern life” into a profit machine. So, homes, jobs, health care and basic stability are being treated as investments for the wealthy rather than necessities for working families. Vance explained that this was the reason so many younger Americans are open to socialism. The GOP has spent generations championing deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy, union-busting and free trade. When big banks and mortgage companies were caught making risky financial decisions and companies collapsed, the government swooped in to bail them out. The victims of the banks were not similarly rescued.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) has criticized his party over corporate giveaways and drastic cuts to social programs. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) supports restrictions on investors buying up homes all over the U.S. Even Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that "free and unfettered trade at the expense of our national economy has shrunk the middle class and left the working class in crisis."

Thomas argued that these statements aren't merely minor changes in rhetoric. He believes that they amount to a growing recognition that the old Republican economic model failed millions of Americans.

In a way, Thomas wrote, Republicans are the dog that caught the car. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's economic policies trend toward being a "dedicated transactionalist." He has "stacked up a Jenga tower of economic policies that are largely short-sighted. Not the sort of ideas you would use to rebuild a party platform that has failed, let alone revive a crumbling economy," Thomas wrote.

Calling Trump's economic policies "zaney," at least "as much as they can be coherently understood," Thomas called it a sharp reversal of the Republican doctrine.

Then there is the party’s biggest obstacle: its donors. Vance may talk about restoring worker power and rebuilding private-sector unions, but he will need the billionaire backers when it's time to begin collecting his own campaign war chest.

Vance may compare AI to the Industrial Revolution, but that was also a period that created huge fortunes while workers fought for basic rights. The difference this time is that the industrialists are already in control, the labor movement is weaker and the Republican Party is still dependent on the billionaires who stand to benefit most, Thomas closed.

-=-=

AN 5 26

MAGA Congressman Max Miller (Ohio) is being accused of beating the mother of his 2-year-old daughter in front of her in an incident that unfolded on Feb. 1 of this year.

According to court filings uncovered by the Daily Mailand three sources cited by the website, Miller's ex-wife Emily Moreno sought changes to their custody agreement after concerns over his “dangerous physical behavior” in their daughter’s presence.

Moreno, the daughter of Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno (R) alleged in the filing that Miller "struck her during a custody exchange at his home in full view of the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, leaving bruises on her arm, elbow, and torso," the report said.

Photos obtained by the Daily Mail show bruising and redness on her body after the alleged incident.

The Bay Village Police Department confirmed that they responded to a report of child abuse that day, but did not say whether it was the Miller/Moreno encounter. They wouldn't give further information other than to say that the investigation remains open, said the DailyMail.

In June 2024, Moreno alleged that Miller threw a pot of boiling water at her. The water hit her chest, causing redness that was also shown in the photos. The incident also occurred in the presence of their daughter.

The couple then began divorce proceedings and reached a settlement in June 2025, where they would agree to share custody of their daughter. Miller would provide $2,500 per month in child support.

An April TMZ report cited a claim from Moreno that Miller “regularly speaks to me in an inappropriate, aggressive and demeaning manner, which is not in the best interest of our child.”

She also alleged that Miller “has conducted dangerous physical behavior in the child’s presence.”

“I do not believe it is in our child’s best interest for [Miller] and me to jointly make a decision for her,” Moreno added, saying she feared it would "cause direct harm" to their child.

Miller previously wrote a letter to Moreno after the alleged boiling-water incident, in which he apologized but didn't admit any culpability. He called himself worthless and claimed guilt was "eating him alive," the letter reviewed by the DailyMail said.

“I don’t know what to do. I do know you love me, protect me and care for me. I failed to do that for you,” Miller allegedly wrote. “I’m sorry and I just want to close my eyes and wake up and everything be normal.”

“I know that won’t happen,” the letter continues. “I’m sorry I failed you and Ruth. It’s eating me alive. I love you, even if you think I don’t. I love you so much. I’m so sorry. I’m just a f—— up and worthless.”

“These images, combined with the documented history in court filings, directly contradict years of Mr. Miller’s denial,” said Moreno’s attorney, Andrew Zashin. “Any claim that Ms. Moreno fabricated these allegations collapses in the face of contemporaneous physical evidence.”

“It is unfortunate that these matters have become public when Ms. Moreno has made every effort to keep them private and out of court for the sake of their daughter,” he added. “But the ongoing pattern of behavior, coupled with the continued denials, has made silence no longer possible.”

Miller is up for relection in November. He will face Democrat Brian Poindexter. Donald Trump won the district in 2024 by 11 points (55-44).

GGL 12 25

AI Overview

Coinbase CEO

Brian Armstrong is a significant political donor, particularly to pro-crypto causes and candidates, including substantial support for Donald Trump's political efforts, with Coinbase contributing to a PAC that supported Trump and Armstrong meeting with him after the 2024 election; he aligns with pro-crypto, free-market ideals, supports regulatory clarity, and embraces libertarian-leaning concepts like "economic freedom" and "Network State" philosophy, advocating for less government intervention in crypto, which contrasts with stricter regulation under previous administrations.

Donations & Political Involvement

Pro-Trump/Crypto PACs: Armstrong and Coinbase donated heavily to super PACs like Fairshake, which supported pro-crypto candidates, including Trump.
Meetings with Trump: Armstrong met with Donald Trump post-election in 2024 to discuss potential personnel appointments for a new administration.
Hiring: Coinbase hired Chris LaCivita, Trump's former campaign manager, to its Global Advisory Council.

Political Stance & Ideology

Libertarian/Pro-Crypto: Armstrong champions economic freedom and has spoken positively about Trump's push for regulatory clarity, viewing it as crucial for the crypto industry's growth.
"Network State": He supports the concept of the Network State, a political movement advocating for decentralized, technology-driven governance.
Advocacy: Armstrong actively lobbies for clear crypto legislation, aiming to move the industry from being "at the little-kids' table" in DC to having real political power.

Relationship with Trump

Shift from Skepticism: Trump, once a Bitcoin skeptic, became a proponent of digital assets, a shift welcomed by Armstrong and the crypto industry, leading to a strong working relationship.
Regulatory Goals: Armstrong sees the Trump administration as key to establishing clearer rules, contrasting with perceived "weaponization" of unclear rules by the Biden administration.

---

GGL 12 25

AI Overview

Coinbase CEO

Brian Armstrong was a major figure in the crypto industry's political spending during the 2024 U.S. elections, which included significant financial involvement in races involving Senators Sherrod Brown and Representative Katie Porter.

Brian Armstrong's Role and Donations

Brian Armstrong, the CEO of the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, was a prominent donor to pro-crypto political action committees (PACs), most notably Fairshake.

Individual Donations: Armstrong personally donated $1 million to the Fairshake PAC network and more than $100,000 to individual lawmakers.

Corporate Contributions: Under Armstrong's leadership, Coinbase was the leading corporate contributor to Fairshake, providing approximately $66 million to support industry-friendly candidates and oppose crypto-skeptics.
:
Advocacy: Armstrong actively advocated for the crypto industry's political influence, stating, "Money moves the needle... For better or worse, that's how our system works". He also encouraged a "pro-crypto Congress" and actively sought to unseat anti-crypto politicians.

Involvement in the Sherrod Brown Race

The crypto industry targeted Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who was the Chair of the Senate Banking Committee and a noted crypto skeptic.

Opposition Spending: Fairshake and affiliated PACs spent an estimated $40 million to oppose Brown's reelection and support his Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, who was a longtime crypto advocate.

Outcome: The massive spending contributed to a tight race, which Moreno ultimately won in the November 2024 election. The ads run against Brown did not mention crypto and instead focused on other political topics.

Involvement in the Katie Porter Race

Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) was running in the California Democratic Senate primary and was also a target of the crypto industry's political spending.

Opposition Spending: Fairshake spent over $10 million in an effort to derail Porter's campaign, reportedly due to her association with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and her general skepticism towards the industry's energy usage.

Outcome: Porter was a primary target of the PAC network and ultimately did not advance past the primary, losing to Adam Schiff, who was seen as more favorable to the industry.

The industry's spending campaign was largely successful in influencing key races, with 91% of the candidates the industry backed with significant funds winning their elections in 2024.

How tech bros bought 'America's most pro-crypto Congress ever'}:

Nov 23, 2024 — Armstrong, Coinbase's CEO, gave more than $1.3 million to a mix of PACs including Fairshake and JD Vance for Senate In...

CNBC·MacKenzie Sigalos

7:49

Crypto Super PACs Amass Over $100 Million for 2024 Elections

May 6, 2024 — Top Crypto Spenders. Coinbase. Coinbase is a leading cryptocurrency exchange offering users a platform for buying and s...

Public Citizen

Big Crypto, Big Spending: Crypto Corporations Spend an ...

Aug 21, 2024 — The primary beneficiary of the corporate crypto cash is Fairshake PAC, a super PAC that has raised $202.9 million. Mor...

Public Citizen

[### Crypto's $245 million campaign finance operation funded ...

CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com › 2024/11/05 › cryptos-245-mill...](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/05/cryptos-245-million-campaign-finance-operation-funded-non-crypto-ads.html)

Nov 5, 2024 — The crypto sector emerged as a top donor this election cycle, but the ads it funded weren't about digital currencies.

[### Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster

The New Yorker

https://www.newyorker.com › magazine › 2024/10/14](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/10/14/silicon-valley-the-new-lobbying-monster)

Oct 7, 2024 — From crypto to AI, the tech sector is pouring millions into super PACS that intimidate politicians into supporting its agenda.Read more

[### Crypto Comes For Sherrod Brown: $32 Million in Ads ...

Rolling Stone

https://www.rollingstone.com › politics › politics-features](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/sherrod-brown-crypto-bernie-moreno-millions-1235102478/)

Sep 15, 2024 — Crypto companies are spending $800000 a day to take out Sherrod Brown, one of their chief critics in Congress, and replace him with an ally.

[### Crypto Companies Have Made the Most Political ...

Inc.com

https://www.inc.com › chris-morris › crypto-companies...](https://www.inc.com/chris-morris/crypto-companies-corporate-political-donations.html)

Aug 23, 2024 — Crypto companies, including Ripple and Coinbase, have spent over $119 million so far this year to influence voters, according to a new ...

[### Cryptobros United: Crypto Super PACs Amass Over $100 ...

Public Citizen

https://www.citizen.org › Articles](https://www.citizen.org/article/cryptobros-united-fairshake-super-pac-2024-elections/)

May 6, 2024 — Only the super PAC backing Ron DeSantis' failed presidential campaign and the super PAC backing Democratic Senate candidates have raised more ...Read more

---

AN 11 25

Like Vice-President JD Vance, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) flip-flopped dramatically when it came to President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Moreno, in late 2020, was highly critical of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results; in 2021, he did an about-face and claimed, without evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.

But that flip-flopping didn't prevent Moreno from winning Ohio's 2024 U.S. Senate race and flipping a seat previously held by Democrat Sherrod Brown, who he defeated by roughly 3.5 percent.

Now, in late 2025, the Bogotá, Colombia-born senator and former car salesman is admitting that he spied on the cars of his Democratic colleagues.

During a Wednesday, November 5 Senate confirmation hearing for Ryan McCormack — President Donald Trump's nominee for an undersecretary position in the U.S. Department of Transportation — Moreno told him, "Would it surprise you that I got the VIN numbers of every one of my Democrat colleagues' vehicles and found that none of them bought any of the additional safety technologies on their cars?.... As somebody who's been here 10 months, I think what we just saw was exactly classic Washington, D.C. In other words, the car that I drive should be safe. The car that my staff drives? Who cares about them? I get a paycheck."

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) called Moreno out, saying, "I object to you stalking my car and my staff to find the VIN numbers to present to this committee. Why are you doing that? What are you going to do with them? It's an invasion of our privacy. ... If you came and asked me for my VIN, I would tell you what I have in my car. It's visible from the outside of the car. You went and followed me to see who drives me and write down their VIN number. You interrupted me. You're attacking me. You watched me go to see who drives me, writing down their VIN number so you could find out what they have. That seems a little creepy."

Rosen called Moreno out on X, formerly Twitter, as well.

The Nevada senator tweeted, "Instead of @berniemoreno creepily following us to the cars we use to get to work in the Capitol and writing down their VIN numbers, I'd suggest he use his time in more productive ways – like coming to the table and negotiating with Democrats on actions to protect Americans' access to affordable health care and end this Republican shutdown."

---

: Mike Lee Is A Real Piece Of Sh*t - by Evan Hurst}:

_Wonkette_

https://www.wonkette.com › mike-lee-is-a-real-piece-of...](https://www.wonkette.com/p/mike-lee-is-a-real-piece-of-sht)

38 minutes ago — Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk, Mike Cernovich, they've all lied about Boelter. ... D'Souza tweet with the picture of the “No Kings” fliers ...

Well, folks, they caught the motherfucker. We don’t know exactly what took so long to find the Christian nationalist anti-abortion activist Trump supporter who impersonated a cop and assassinated Democrats in Minneapolis on Friday night, with plans to target many more, but they caught him. Maybe they were just looking the wrong places? We would have checked Republican politicians’ houses first, but that’s just us.

Anyway, they found him in a field.

Again, who this guy Vance Boelter is, it’s not shrouded in mystery, and it’s been out in the open from the beginning. He’s one of them. He’s just a typical Republican voter who decided to assassinate some Democrats. You’d think MAGA would be proud of what it’s wrought. And some of them are, to be sure.

But then there are piece of dogshit Republican senators like Mike Lee who have been lying since the beginning.

caption...

Why so ashamed, bud?

You’d think considering Mike Lee’s extremist record,he might already be lobbying Donald Trump for any extra pardons he’s got lying around for Boelter.

Vance Boelter is a registered Republican.He’s an anti-gay, anti-abortion pig. He’s a conservative Christian preacher. Basically all the red flag characteristics that say “Here’s a guy you shouldn’t leave your kids alone with,” but that MAGA Americans find godly and manly. Again, why is Mike Lee so ashamed? He has a lot in common with this guy! Surprised they aren’t taking up a collection for this guy’s legal defense in Mike Lee’s church. He just reminds us so much of Mike Lee (or any other white Republican loser, they really do all look alike).

As Tim Miller from The Bulwark notes,a bunch of Republicans and MAGA conservatives have taken this tack, instead of embracing this guy who is just like them in so many important ways. Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk, Mike Cernovich, they’ve all lied about Boelter. Previously (?) Kremlin-funded weirdo Benny Johnson claimed Boelter was a “left-wing Tim Walz appointee.” Today Benny is rambling about how the murders are a “leftist false flag.” Also something about “I’m sorry, but these are the same agencies that brought you the Whitmer Fednapping, that brought you January 6, that brought you the Epstein cases, that brought you Ghislaine Maxwell. These are the same people. These are the same people.”

Uhhhh okeydoke. We guess Kash Patel and Pam Bondi are now card-carrying members of the Deep State voices in Benny Johnson’s head community.

Musk tweeted that “the far left is murderously violent.” Laura Loomer said that “Walz’s goons are now assassinating lawmakers who support legislation Walz opposes.” (There’s a whole conspiracy theory they made up surrounding this that involves healthcare legislation in Minnesota, it’s too stupid to type, but you can read it if you want.)

:{How Did Evil Russians Manage To Fool Dave Rubin, Tim Pool, AND Benny Johnson? Wow!

[Evan Hurst](https://substack.com/profile/9485412-evan-hurst)

September 5, 2024

[Read full story](https://www.wonkette.com/p/how-did-evil-russians-manage-to-fool)](https://www.wonkette.com/p/how-did-evil-russians-manage-to-fool)

Mike Lee also had another tweet about it that said “Nightmare on Walz Street.” Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno — another Republican dude with a lot in common with Vance Boelter — tweeted this, a retweet of another right-wing liar connecting “No Kings” fliers found in Boelter’s car with Randi Weingarten and teachers unions somehow.

He hasn’t removed it. None of the posts and tweets we’re referencing in this post have been removed.

[

Sherrod Brown's Gross Republican Opponent Pretty Sure Women Over 50 Too Old To Vote On Abortion

[Evan Hurst](https://substack.com/profile/9485412-evan-hurst)

September 24, 2024

[Read full story](https://www.wonkette.com/p/sherrod-browns-gross-republican-opponent)](https://www.wonkette.com/p/sherrod-browns-gross-republican-opponent)

A mouthy extremist Republican state senator in Tennessee named Brent Taylor, who represents a tiny slice of Memphis, a city that otherwise cannot stand him, posted a Dinesh D’Souza tweet with the picture of the “No Kings” fliers, because that’s how debased and pathetic he is. He then proceeded to babble like a dementia patient for 9,000 paragraphs about leftist violence:

The Left's violence masquerading as free speech is a stain on our republic, and it’s escalating at a terrifying pace. From assassination attempts on President Trump—twice in two months—to torching cars at Tesla dealerships during Tesla Takedowns. Members of “Progressive” groups like this have now turned to a call to arms.

Los Angeles burns under their orchestrated chaos, with anti-ICE riots seeing Molotov cocktails, looted businesses, and attacks on federal agents, all while Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass fumble, blaming others for their failures. […]

This is the Left’s legacy: burning cities, targeting conservatives, and excusing violence as “resistance.” Their hypocrisy is glaring—silent on their own extremists while attempting to demonize the Right. It’s time to call this what it is: a dangerous, unhinged movement that threatens our way of life.

Ahem OK sure, pal. Below that are comments from Memphis voters telling him to go drink piss in hell, which is something Memphis voters say to Brent Taylor a lot. (He’s a big buddy of Todd Starnes, which should tell longtime Wonkette readers what kind of guy we’re making fun of here.)

[

Todd Starnes Writes Love Letter To Donald Trump's Penis

[Evan Hurst](https://substack.com/profile/14358125-evan-hurst)

July 27, 2015

[Read full story](https://www.wonkette.com/p/todd-starnes-writes-love-letter-to-donald-trumps-penis)](https://www.wonkette.com/p/todd-starnes-writes-love-letter-to-donald-trumps-penis)

Again, there was never any mystery who this murderous piece of shit is. The story, from the beginning, was Typical, Unremarkable Trump Voter Assassinates Democrats. He’s an anti-abortion Christian extremist, which is no surprise, because that’s a really common thing to find in a terrorist profile. There were anti-abortion extremists all over the place among the domestic extremists who attacked the Capitol on January 6. Far-right extremists are the greatest domestic terrorist threat to the United States, and have been for a long time, no matter how much the Trump Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security try to cover that up so they can blood libel people who aren’t white.

This is their dude, y’all.

Why they lyin’?

It couldn’t be shame causing them to do this, because white conservative Christian men and the people who serve them don’t have the capacity for that.

We guess they just find it extremely politically inconvenient right now, since everybody hates Trump and his agenda and his incompetent Cabinet, and Trump’s North Korean birthday parade was more poorly attended than a common wiener dog race at the county fair.

Not a great time to remind America just how much they hateall religious conservative Republican extremists, we reckon!

Everybody Hates Trump, And His Little Nazi Loser Friends Too}:

[Evan Hurst](https://substack.com/profile/9485412-evan-hurst)

Jun 12

[Read full story](https://www.wonkette.com/p/everybody-hates-trump-and-his-little)](https://www.wonkette.com/p/everybody-hates-trump-and-his-little)

Also Republican politicians are simply bad people who are going to hell when they die, and that’s why they’re doing this.

We probably needn’t try to psychoanalyze it any further.

politico

the TV ads seem wildly different from each other.

In Ohio, a woman shares how GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno invested in her business making uniforms for female police officers. In Iowa, a spot highlights Rep. Zach Nunn’s military credentials and work to lower child care costs. And in Colorado, a Spanish-language ad touts first-term Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo’s support for more border patrol agents.

The ads have one major trait in common: They are all part of a massive effort from the cryptocurrency industry to elect its preferred House and Senate candidates across a dozen states this fall. But not a single one mentions crypto.

The nascent industry has quietly become the single biggest outside spender in congressional elections this cycle other than traditional party groups, spending more than environmental PACs, pro-Israel advocates or abortion-rights groups. About 1 in 12 independent expenditure dollars in House and Senate races this year have come from cryptocurrency-linked super PACs.

“The crypto industry is pretty amazing in that 10 years ago, it was the laughing stock of the tech world,” said Moreno, the GOP Senate candidate from Ohio who is challenging Sen. Sherrod Brown and has attracted the most cryptocurrency backing of any candidate. “And in reality, here you are 10 years later, and they’re going to be decisive in helping Republicans win the United States Senate.”

The industry’s ads are about trying to help their preferred candidates win elections — not making cryptocurrency a campaign issue. That reflects a reality acknowledged by several candidates: Cryptocurrency is hardly top-of-mind for most voters. The ads from the various industry-linked super PACs are instead universally positive spots about their candidates, often biographical or hitting on hot-button issues such as the border, the economy and access to IVF.

And cryptocurrency groups are quick to note that they are not innately partisan, instead backing candidates of both parties, including Democratic Senate candidates in Michigan and Arizona.

Many candidates backed by cryptocurrency are vulnerable members who serve on key committees and supported the industry’s legislative priorities this year. And in Ohio, they are looking to oust Brown, a past skeptic of the industry, even if they are not talking about him or cryptocurrency while they do it.

The spending surge has flowed through three distinct super PACs: Defend American Jobs, which has boosted Republican Senate candidates; Protect Progress, which has boosted Democratic Senate candidates; and Fairshake, which has backed House candidates on both sides of the aisle. Fairshake has also sent money to the other two groups while receiving more than $170 million this cycle from a variety of cryptocurrency-backed interests, including the firms Coinbase and Ripple Labs and the partners behind Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capital firm with substantial crypto investments.

The three super PACs have collectively spent $125 million on independent expenditures this cycle, accounting for 8 percent of all outside spending in congressional races, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. That includes more than $80 million spent on the general election.

In response to questions about the candidates backed by Fairshake and the content of the ads, a PAC spokesperson referred to an earlier statement expressing support for “leaders on both sides of the aisle and in both houses who are committed to getting things done and working with the industry to pass responsible regulation that drives innovation, creates jobs, and sustains America’s global leadership.”

IFrame Content

Many of the crypto-backed candidates supported one of the industry’s key legislative priorities this year, a bill that would establish regulatory authority for different classes of digital assets that passed the House earlier this year but has not been taken up in the Senate.

But the biggest investment by far this cycle has been to oust Brown, the only race where they have spent against an incumbent. Brown, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, emerged as a key skeptic of cryptocurrency and warned of the risks it could pose for consumers.

Defend American Jobs has spent more than $40 million on the race. The top two most-run ads in Ohio this year both come from the group, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact. But neither mentions crypto — nor attacks Brown.

One highlights Moreno as a small business owner who raised a family in the state, another touts his support for energy independence and “stopping illegal immigrants from taking Ohio’s tax dollars.”

The cryptocurrency-linked super PACs also support Democrats — even using some of the same issues, like immigration. An ad from Protect Progress backing Rep. Ruben Gallego praised the Arizona Senate candidate for “standing up to his own party to fund 22,000 border patrol agents,” while a Michigan ad boosting Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Senate candidacy features a clip of her saying “we need to invest in border security.”

In House races, the messaging is even more varied. Most of the nearly two dozen ads that have run in congressional races for the general election have some biographical component. Five ads defending incumbent Democrats tout their credentials on immigration and the border, while two spots backing vulnerable Republicans highlight their support for access to IVF.

It’s not unusual for an interest group to avoid talking about its own issues in advertising: Earlier this year, the pro-Israel super PAC United Democracy Project ran ads in Democratic primaries that focused on issues ranging from public safety to one candidate’s DUI arrest, though the group ran ads on antisemitism in one New York congressional race.

But cryptocurrency may simply not be front-of-mind for most voters. Estimates for the number of Americans who own cryptocurrency vary widely, in part depending on the specifics of how the question is asked. A Federal Reserve survey in 2023 pegged the share at 7 percent while a Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia survey this summer found 14.7 percent; cryptocurrency firms and advocates argue the number is even higher.

With cryptocurrency not a key issue in frontline House and Senate races, most candidates are reluctant to talk about the money. The majority of candidates getting backing from cryptocurrency PACs — and their opponents — declined to comment about the industry’s role in their elections.

A few candidates whose opponents were beneficiaries of crypto super PACs also spoke in favor of cryptocurrency. Former Rep. Mike Rogers, running against Slotkin in Michigan, said in a statement the industry is “important for our national security” while accusing outside groups of “trying to put Crypto in the hands of Democrats.” A spokesperson for Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, facing Gallego in Arizona, said she was a “strong supporter” of crypto.

In Alaska, Nick Begich, the Republican challenging Mary Peltola, said he was surprised to see Fairshake backing the incumbent Democrat, citing his own pro-cryptocurrency stances. (Begich said he was an early adopter of Bitcoin.) For voters, though, questions about digital assets and crypto policy tend to be lower down the list.

“We’ll get an occasional question about cryptocurrency from the public,” Begich said. “But it is not in the top 10 issues that I hear.”

When the industry does message on crypto, those efforts are far smaller in scale than their work to help specific candidates.

Stand With Crypto, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, has been conducting outreach aiming to encourage crypto users and supporters to vote this year. The organization also grades candidates based on statements and support for legislation related to cryptocurrency, but does not endorse. And its efforts are far smaller: The group said it has received $2.8 million in donations, about 1.5 percent of the money that has flown through Fairshake.

*Jasper Goodman contributed to this report.

---

intercept

after two elections where he bucked Ohio’s rightward trend, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is clinging to thenarrowest of polling leads. If he loses to unpopular car salesman Bernie Moreno next month, he might have crypto to blame.

Cryptocurrency companies are pouring tens of millions of dollars into the race through a super PAC in response to Brown’s scathing criticism of the industry as Senate Banking Committee chair.

Their leading role in the race shows how much money — no matter the “coin” — talks.

Crypto sat in the political doghouse after the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX fraud two years ago, but it drew broad bipartisan support for its top legislative priority this May as it showered money on congressional races.

“Really their only avenue here to continue their scams is to get enough politicians to change the law.”

If crypto can take down Brown next month, critics warn, it could lead to more success for an agenda that includes neutering the Securities and Exchange Commission and opening the door for more traditional banks to hold crypto.

“They’re losing in the courts, they’re losing in the court of public opinion, so really their only avenue here to continue their scams is to get enough politicians to change the law,” said Dennis Kelleher, the CEO of financial reform nonprofit Better Markets. “The key to that is taking out anybody who opposes them.”

Mad Money

Operating through a cluster of blandly named super PACs, the crypto industry had made nearly half of all corporate donations in this year’s elections as of August. A single pro-crypto super PAC, Fairshake, has raised more than $200 million and spent more than $132 million this cycle.

Fairshake and its affiliates have spent millions backing Democratic Senate candidates Reps. Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, along with House candidates on both sides of the aisle.

Nowhere has crypto’s influence been more obvious than Ohio. In the last election cycle, a super PAC bankrolled by Bankman-Fried backed now-Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, over progressive Nina Turner.

This year, crypto is coming even harder into the state. A Fairshake affiliate, Defend American Jobs, has spent more than $38 million on ads boosting Moreno and blasting Brown, according to a recent Washington Postanalysis.

A Fairshake spokesperson did not return a request for comment, but the reasons for the attack ads are clear enough. Well before Bankman-Fried’s downfall, Brown was a vocal critic of cryptocurrency.

“Stablecoins and crypto markets aren’t actually an alternative to our banking system,” he said in December 2021. “They’re a mirror of the same broken system –– with even less accountability, and no rules at all.”

The super PAC’s spending on a race that could hand control of the Senate to the GOP has made some Democratic industry leaders uncomfortable. A spokesperson for one of the PAC’s top donors, the crypto exchange Coinbase, said the PAC’s spending decisions are made independently, a claim echoed by Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm that hasinvested billions in the crypto industry.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in a blog post that the company was making its donations in an effort to get “regulatory clarity.”

In June, Armstrong said, “Crypto voters won’t be taken seriously until we send a clear message to political candidates that it is bad politics to be anti-crypto.”

Taming the SEC

Yet it isn’t just “clarity” that Armstrong and other industry players want. They also want specific legislation. “Getting the wrong kind of regulation is worse than none at all,” Armstrong said last month.

Top of the list is legislation called the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, or FIT 21, which would reclassify many kinds of crypto as commodities rather than securities.

The obscure-sounding shift has broad implications. Observers generally consider the rules for commodities — items like corn and wheat — to be looser than those for securities such as stocks and bonds.

“The CFTC was set up to regulate corn futures.”

Just as importantly, crypto critics say, would be a corresponding shift in oversight. Under the congressional legislation, crypto would shed the SEC for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a body with less resources and a leaner regulatory staff.

“The CFTC was set up to regulate corn futures,” said Mark Hays, a senior policy analyst with Americans for Financial Reform and Demand Progress. “The people they’re looking at are sophisticated hedge funds or ag traders, they are not set up to protect your cousin or your grandma logging onto their phone.”

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who has emerged as a crypto industry foil, warned of the bill’s consequences in a statement after it passed the House with bipartisan support in May. Scammers could label themselves crypto companies in order to evade government oversight, he said.

Gensler said, “The crypto industry’s record of failures, frauds, and bankruptcies is not because we don’t have rules or because the rules are unclear. It’s because many players in the crypto industry don’t play by the rules.”

Opening Up the Banks

So far, the crypto industry’s favorite piece of legislation has not advanced in the Senate, although Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., recently made supportive-sounding comments.

Gensler also warned of the potential for larger contamination of the U.S. capital market. The issue arose in 2022, when SEC staffers tried to curb the danger with guidance advising financial institutions like banks to treat crypto as a liability rather than an asset on their balance sheets.

The SEC’s thinking was that crypto is too vulnerable to theft, fraud, or lost wallet keys, but the crypto industry and bankers cried foul.

Tech Billionaires Love Trump Now — Because He’s One of Them

https://theintercept.com/2024/08/07/silicon-valley-tech-billionaires-president-trump/

Stand With Crypto, an industry advocacy group, said the guidance “disincentivizes banks from offering digital asset custody at scale and limits banks’ ability to develop safe, innovative use cases for blockchain technology.”

While the guidance was nonbinding, for banks that decided to follow through, it meant that holding crypto for customers would require them to increase other holdings.

Congress passed legislation overriding the guidance, only to be vetoed by President Joe Biden in June. For now, the guidance remains in place. Yet the crypto industry still harbors its larger ambition of making it easier for traditional financial institutions to hold crypto.

Hays, the Americans for Financial Reform policy analyst, said, “They also want some of the other non-bank actors that provide crypto custody to be in the green.”

“Stable” Coins

Sometimes lost in the fallout from the Bankman-Fried saga is the story of an earlier crash involving a so-called stablecoin, TerraUSD, which was supposed to maintain a one-to-one peg with the dollar.

In short, it didn’t. Investors who thought they were getting into crypto in the safest way possible had their savings wiped out.

“A stablecoin is really nothing more than a crypto money market fund, with all the risks and dangers of a money market fund.”

TerraUSD was an “algorithmic” stablecoin, meaning that it was not backed by actual assets. One of the industry’s best hopes in Congress is to get legislation passed authorizing stablecoins that are backed by concrete assets.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee and a frequent crypto skeptic, floated the idea last month of reaching a “grand bargain” with Republicans during the lame-duck Congress after the election.

Although stablecoins seem to have more legislative legs than other crypto proposals, skeptics like Kelleher, of Better Markets, are wary. He likened them to money market funds, which had to be saved from collapse by the Federal Reserve in 2008 and 2020.

“A stablecoin is really nothing more than a crypto money market fund, with all the risks and dangers of a money market fund,” he said. “Except it has even more, because it’s a crypto product that is not only unregulated, but because it’s also untransparent.”

Editor’s Note: In September 2022, The Intercept received $500,000 from Sam Bankman-Fried’s foundation, Building a Stronger Future, as part of a $4 million grant to fund our pandemic prevention and biosafety coverage. That grant has been suspended. In keeping with our general practice, The Intercept disclosed the funding in subsequent reporting on Bankman-Fried’s political activities.*

---

YIKES 2024

COMMON DR

Crypto Industry's $40 Million Defeat of Pro-Worker Sherrod Brown Called 'Obscene'

The Ohio Democrat lost his seat because "the billionaire-backed crypto industry donated $40 million to his right-wing opponent," lamented one labor journalist.

Jake Johnson

Nov 07, 2024

The Republican Party's capture of the U.S. Senate this week was made possible in part by massive spending from the nascent but increasingly influential cryptocurrency industry, which pumped more than $40 million into a successful effort to topple pro-worker progressive Sen. Sherrod Brown in favor of luxury car dealer Bernie Moreno.

Crypto industry spending helped make Ohio's closely watched Senate race the most expensive in the state's history, with Moreno's campaign boosted by around $40.1 million from the super PAC Defend American Jobs—part of what OpenSecrets described as the "triad" of allied pro-crypto groups pouring cash into the 2024 election.

The Washington Postnoted that Moreno "founded a blockchain firm called Ownum in 2018" and "has long immersed himself in blockchain technology, a registry of ownership that essentially underpins all cryptocurrency."

A spokesman for Fairshake, another member of the crypto PAC triad, took credit for Moreno's victory in a statement after the election was called in the Republican's favor and condemned Brown's support for regulating the industry. Fairshake received tens of millions of dollars in donations from the cryptocurrency exchange giant Coinbase—some of which may have been illegal spending, according to the watchdog group Public Citizen, given that the company is a federal contractor.

"Sherrod Brown was a top opponent of cryptocurrency and thanks to our efforts, he will be leaving the Senate," said Fairshake's Josh Vlasto. "Senator-elect Moreno's come-from-behind win shows that Ohio voters want a leader who prioritizes innovation."

Crypto executive Tyler Winklevoss boasted in a social media post, "The crypto army is striking!"

"Sherrod Brown—crypto public enemy, Elizabeth Warren co-conspirator, and Gary Gensler crony—was just ousted by Bernie Moreno for Ohio Senate," wrote Winklevoss, the co-founder of Gemini.

Labor reporter Steven Greenhouse wrote Wednesday that it is "obscene" that Brown lost his seat because "the billionaire-backed crypto industry donated $40 million to his right-wing opponent."

"Sherrod Brown is one of the most pro-worker, pro-middle-class members of the U.S. Senate," Greenhouse added. "He truly fights for workers."

"The strategy was a brazen attempt to buy influence while keeping the public unaware of what they were supporting."

While the Ohio Senate contest was "the biggest single target of crypto money this cycle," as CNBCput it, the industry spread its money widely, backing both Republicans and Democrats in races across the country—underscoring its attempt to gain influence over future regulatory fights in Congress.

Overall, crypto groups spent more than $130 million in support of candidates for federal office this cycle. A tracker created by the Stand With Crypto Alliance estimates that 263 "pro-crypto candidates" were elected to the House and 18 to the Senate in Tuesday's contest.

Former President Donald Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris was also seen as a win for the industry, with Bitcoin's price spiking to a new all-time high on Wednesday. During his campaign, Trump vowed to make the U.S. "the crypto capital of the planet."

"Tonight the crypto voter has spoken decisively—across party lines and in key races across the country," gushed Brian Armstrong, the CEO of Coinbase. "Americans disproportionately care about crypto and want clear rules of the road for digital assets. We look forward to working with the new Congress to deliver it."

But one critic, Better Markets president Dennis Kelleher, cast doubt on the industry's self-serving narrative that the 2024 results amounted to a ringing endorsement of cryptocurrency.

In an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, Kelleher pointed out that pro-crypto PACs adopted "generic anodyne names" and bankrolled.

"It's as if Ford ran an ad campaign and never mentioned its cars," Kelleher wrote. "The strategy was a brazen attempt to buy influence while keeping the public unaware of what they were supporting. This way, the industry can claim the now-elected officials they backed have a mandate from the public to support crypto interests—even though they don't."

---

GGL 11 24

[### Crypto Industry's $40 Million Defeat of Pro-Worker Sherrod ...

Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org › ... › cryptocurrency](https://www.commondreams.org/news/sherrod-brown-crypto)

4 hours ago — The Ohio Democrat lost his seat because "the billionaire-backed crypto industry donated $40 million to his right-wing opponent," lamented ...

Missing: FUNDER ‎DONOR

[### Bitcoiners celebrate as Bernie Moreno ousts Sherrod ...

CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com › 2024/11/05 › bitcoiners-celebr...](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/05/bitcoiners-celebrate-as-bernie-moreno-ousts-sherrod-brown-ohio-upset.html)

2 days ago — Republican Bernie Moreno, a blockchain entrepreneur, won the Ohio Senate race, knocking off Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. · The crypto ...

[### Crypto Comes For Sherrod Brown: $32 Million in Ads ...

Rolling Stone

https://www.rollingstone.com › politics › politics-features](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/sherrod-brown-crypto-bernie-moreno-millions-1235102478/)

Sep 15, 2024 — Crypto companies are spending $800000 a day to take out Sherrod Brown, one of their chief critics in Congress, and replace him with an ally.

[### Why Crypto Billionaires Want to Flip Sherrod Brown's ...

The Intercept

https://theintercept.com › 2024/10/13 › sherrod-brown-...](https://theintercept.com/2024/10/13/sherrod-brown-race-crypto-regulation/)

Oct 13, 2024 — Millions of dollars are pouring into the race to unseat Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has resisted loosening cryptocurrency regulations.

[### Crypto industry pours tens of millions into Ohio Senate race

Spectrum News

https://spectrumnews1.com › news › 2024/10/17 › cryp...](https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2024/10/17/crypto-brown-moreno-senate)

Oct 17, 2024 — WASHINGTON, D.C. — The battle between Sen. Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno in Ohio is on track to be the most expensive Senate race in ...

[### Crypto PACs Dominate Ohio Senate Race, Spending $40 ...

CoinDesk

https://www.coindesk.com › policy › 2024/09/26 › cry...](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/09/26/crypto-pacs-dominate-ohio-senate-race-spending-40m-on-sherrod-browns-foe/)

Sep 26, 2024 — Crypto-fan candidate Bernie Moreno has caught up in Ohio polls as the industry's cash outpaces other PACs in one of the key US Senate races that may decide the ...

[### Crypto's $245 million campaign finance operation funded ...

CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com › 2024/11/05 › cryptos-245-mill...](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/05/cryptos-245-million-campaign-finance-operation-funded-non-crypto-ads.html)

2 days ago — The crypto sector emerged as a top donor this election cycle, but the ads it funded weren't about digital currencies.

Missing: DONOR ‎| Show results with: DONOR

[### The Crypto Industry's Spending on the Election Pays Off

The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com › 2024/11/06 › technology](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/technology/crypto-industry-spending-election.html)

4 hours ago — The spending spree fueled a string of victories on Tuesday for congressional candidates who had expressed support for cryptocurrencies.

[### Sen. Sherrod Brown - Campaign Finance Summary

OpenSecrets

https://www.opensecrets.org › members-of-congress › s...](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/sherrod-brown/summary?cid=N00003535)

NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2019 - 2024 election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data released electronically on 11/06/24 for ...

[### Brown, Colleagues Call on Administration to Address ...

Senator Sherrod Brown (.gov)

https://www.brown.senate.gov › press › release › sherro...](https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-colleagues-call-administration-address-crypto-financed-terrorism-after-reports-hamas-raising-millions-crypto-fund-operations)

Oct 18, 2023 — ... Crypto-Financed Terrorism After Reports of Hamas Raising Millions in Crypto to Fund Operations ... WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod ...

---

mma

Ohio GOP Senate nominee Bernie Moreno fundraises with influencer who pushed weather manipulation conspiracy theory

Written by Eric Hananoki

:{Published 10/17/24

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Bernie Moreno has recently been getting fundraising help from Grant Cardone, a controversial financial influencer who pushed the conspiracy theory that Hurricane Milton was the result of weather manipulation.

On October 6, Cardone wrote: “I grew up on the Gulf of Mexico. Been watching storms since I was a young boy. I have NEVER seen a storm start here and go east. Do you think Gov’t is using technology to manipulate weather patterns & storms?”

He also wrote on October 10: “For those who dismiss the idea our govt is experimenting with weather remember these are the same people who denied Wuhan, bio labs in Ukraine, promised vaccine was safe, authorized contamination of our food supply, exported our manufacturing & say elections can’t be rigged.”

Cardone’s conspiratorial rhetoric was noted in numerous articles, including in Newsweek, FactCheck.org, Miami New Times, and Gizmodo.

He has used conspiratorial rhetoric to speculate on other subjects. On September 30, discussing the now-suspended port strike, he wrote: “Where is Harris on the port strike? Quit pretending she’s not responsible for running this country the last four years. They will use the strike to create nationwide chaos to steal the election.” He also asserted that “they purposely opened the border” and “used Covid to steal 2020,” arguing, “They will do anything & Americans can’t believe this would be orchestrated because they can’t imagine that much evil.”

In 2023, Cardone posted an image of himself displaying his middle finger, writing: “To all those who thought we were just conspiracy theorist!”

In recent days, Cardone has been trying to rally monetary support for Moreno, posting a fundraising plea online for Moreno on October 11. The Ohio Republican candidate responded: “Thank you @GrantCardone for your support, your friendship, and for your support of entrepreneurs!”

Cardone also appeared in an online audio chat with Moreno on October 14. The chat served as a de facto fundraiser, with Cardone saying he’s “put some money in for him” and encouraging people to donate to his campaign. He also said that he’s known Moreno for 30 years.

The chat also featured former Trump national security adviser Mike Flynn, who praised Moreno as “exactly the type of person that” the Senate needs. Flynn has also promoted weather conspiracy theories: He shared a video on October 7 which claimed that “Hurricane Helene was an ATTACK caused by Weather Manipulation!” He also suggested that “the mountains of N.C.” show that “the globalists are pulling out all the stops.” “Don’t worry,” he wrote, “the real storm is coming.”

vid] Cardone also at a rally for former President Donald Trump. Media Matters has documented several of Trump’s media allies similarly forwarding weather modification conspiracy theories.

Media Matters previously documented that Moreno fundraised on the show of Laura Loomer, a far-right extremist who has celebrated the deaths of migrants and mocked Vice President Kamala Harris’ Indian American heritage.

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GOP Senate nominee Bernie Moreno raised funds on Laura Loomer’s show and met with her in D.C.

09/16/24 mma

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started w pix of goose from another town? BS about apt takeover by gangs?

For the second day in a row, elementary school children in Springfield, Ohio, were forced to be evacuated due to threats: a bomb threat on Thursday and an unspecified threat on Friday. The threats come after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance, have repeatedly spread lies about Haitian immigrants in Springfield this week, including that they are stealing residents’ cats and dogs and eating them.

Thursday’s bomb threat specifically mentioned the false claims about Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets, USA Today reported.

“Three schools in Springfield were evacuated or closed Friday, based on guidance from police, school officials said,” local NBC affiliate WLWT reports. “Officials with the Springfield City School District said that based on information they got from the Springfield Police Division, students at Perrin Woods and Snowhill Elementary were evacuated and moved to another district location.”

A Springfield middle school was also ordered closed Friday morning, before classes began, and “at least one Springfield location of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles is closed.”

On Thursday, a bomb threat targeting Springfield city hall and an elementary school forced evacuations of those buildings.

“Police Chief Allison Elliott said that due to the seriousness of the threat, officials evacuated multiple buildings in addition to City Hall, including BMV Springfield Driver’s Exam Station, Ohio License Bureau Southside, Springfield Academy of Excellence and Fulton Elementary School.”

Despite the reports of the bomb threat on Thursday, hours later Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform to promote the Republican nominee working to unseat Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, by spreading more anti-Haitian immigrant racism.

IFrame Content

“Bernie Moreno has a very good chance of winning Ohio against a Radical Left Democrat, Sherrod Brown, with what is happening in Springfield, and other parts of the State,” Trump declared Thursday afternoon, referring to the far-right extremist Republican who is currently leading in the polls by low single digits.

Trump then invoked his racist Haitian immigrant lies.

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an 6 24

the handful of U.S. Senate races that will decide partisan control of the upper chamber of Congress will come down to whether voters go with battle-tested, highly experienced Democrats or wealthy Republican political neophytes self-funding their campaigns, according to a new report.

On Wednesday, online news outlet NOTUS reported that the Republican Party's inability to fund Senate challengers' campaigns with small-dollar fundraising means the GOP is now depending on multimillionaire candidates to stay competitive with Democrats. Republican Senate primary winners in battleground states have mostly been businessmen with no prior experience in elected office, like Eric Hovde in Wisconsin, Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, Bernie Moreno in Ohio and Tim Sheehy in Montana.

"We’ve focused on recruiting candidates who are really strong fundraisers or who are capable of making a personal investment in their campaign to try and close the money gap," an unnamed Republican aide told NOTUS.

Another unnamed senior GOP strategist speaking anonymously to NOTUS told the publication that the Republican Party' "shrinking small-dollar base has left it scrambling" in order to field competitive Senate candidates. The strategist added that the GOP's small-dollar donor base continues to shrink with every election cycle.

"You’re not going to make it up from there, so where are you going to do it?” the strategist said. “And that leaves you with people who have their own funds.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the GOP's Senate campaign arm, has still raised nearly $134 million for the 2024 cycle, according to Ballotpedia data as of April 30. That's more than the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) $116 million. However, the DSCC has $41 million in cash on hand compared to the NRSC's $36 million. And Democratic Senate candidates in battleground states still have a significant money advantage over their Republican candidates.

In 2024, Republicans need a net gain of just two Senate seats in order to retake the majority. with Sen. Joe Manchin (I-West Virginia) retiring in a state that's voted for Republican presidential candidates in the last six consecutive elections, that effectively means the GOP needs just one Democratic-held seat to flip. And with multiple Democratic candidates in red states like Montana and Ohio running for another term, the Senate could flip to Republican control by ousting Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) or Jon Tester (D-Montana). The difference may come down to campaign cash.

In the 2024 cycle, Tester has raised more than $36 million, and still has $11 million in cash on hand according to Opensecrets. Brown is similarly flush with cash, having raised more than $39 million with nearly $16 million on hand. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), who is running for a fourth term this fall, has raised an impressive $23 million with almost $12 million still available to spend this cycle. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) is still sitting on more than $10 million in cash on hand with more than $26 million raised so far.

According to Cook Political Report, Republicans are outside of the margin of error in the Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Senate races, meaning they'll be leaning heavily on Montana and Ohio in their effort to win back the Senate majority. Latest polling averages show Baldwin and Casey are nearly 10 points ahead of their Republican opponents. RealClearPolling figures show Brown leads Moreno by approximately five points in Ohio, and Tester has a similar lead over Sheehy in the Big Sky State.

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bradey 4 24

jUDD

last month, Bernie Moreno won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Ohio. Moreno benefited from an early endorsement from Turning Point Action, the far-right activist group founded by Charlie Kirk. On May 10, 2023, Kirk posted on X that he was "proud to support Bernie," and Moreno had Turning Point Action's "full endorsement."

[twt]

In response, Moreno wrote that he was "honored to be endorsed by Charlie Kirk and Turning Point Action." Moreno said that "[f]ew have done more to fight back against the radical left than they have," and he looks "forward to working with them to defend for our America First conservative values in the US Senate."

In 2023, Kirk repeatedly featured Moreno as a guest on his popular podcast and consistently promoted Moreno's candidacy to his 2.9 million followers on X. At the end of 2023, Kirk donated the maximum legal amount of $5,000 to Moreno's campaign through the Turning Point PAC.

At the same time, Kirk, known for his embrace of fringe views and conspiracy theories, launched a sustained attack on Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. At a December 2023 convention hosted by Turning Point USA, Kirk said that King "was awful" and "not a good person." Kirk's critique extended not just to King himself but to the civil rights movement itself. "We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s," Kirk declared, trashing the legislation that outlawed segregation in public places and many businesses.

In his convention speech, Kirk blasted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as an effort to “re-found the county” and “get rid of the First Amendment.” He criticized courts for enforcing the law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. "Federal courts just yield to the Civil Rights Act as if it's the actual American Constitution," Kirk complained.

A spokesperson for Turning Point USA, Andrew Kolvet, defended Kirk's attacks, saying respect for King's legacy was based on "fake history."

Kirk announced he was "gonna tell the truth about MLK Jr" on MLK Day in January 2024. According to Kirk, a podcast episode attacking King and the civil rights movement was being put together by his producer, Blake Neff. In 2020, Neff was forced to resign from Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News after it was revealed Neff was posting racist comments online under a pseudonym.

The episode, titled “The Myth of MLK,” kicks off with Vince Everett Ellison – a right-wing activist who claims that voting for a Democrat will send you to Hell. Ellison describes King as “despicable,” “immoral,” and “perverted.” Kirk repeatedly suggests that King’s legacy has harmed “Black America.” He asks Ellison if the lives of Black Americans have improved “the more that we have worshipped MLK.” Kirk also invites Ellison to talk about how “MLK's narrative and political activism led to the modern welfare state.” Ellison responds by accusing the civil rights community of keeping Black people poor, adding that the devil “rest[s] his head at the DNC” and that the DNC “use[d] MLK and all of those perverts with him.”

“I could say declaratively this guy is not worthy of a national holiday. He is not worthy of god-like status. In fact, I think it's really harmful,” Kirk says after the conversation with Ellison ends. Then Kirk, alongside Neff, spends roughly 30 minutes attempting to demonize the Civil Rights Act. According to Neff, the Civil Rights Act is “directly against this colorblind world that conservatives think MLK brought.” Kirk tells listeners that “in reality the language and the application of the Civil Rights Act…is a color preference act, not a color blindness.” Kirk adds that the Civil Rights Act “is making it harder for us to pursue Excellence as a society” because, as Neff puts it, “you have to discriminate against men, against white people.”

On X, Kirk wrote that the "deification of MLK and his proto-DEI ideology marks the exact moment that the progress of black America goes sideways." Kirk suggested that MLK was responsible for the "disintegration" of "their cities," the "collapse" of "their families." Because of MLK, Kirk claims, "they" are "enormously dependent on government support."

Kirk's crusade against King and the civil rights movement did not appear to impact his relationship with Moreno. On March 14, 2024, Turning Point Action donated $100,000 to the Buckeye Values PAC, Moreno's Super PAC.

Buckeye Values PAC is tightly aligned with Moreno's campaign and was responsible for organizing and financing a key rally featuring Trump and Moreno on March 18, the day before the Ohio primary.

The day after his primary victory, on March 20, Moreno appeared again on Kirk's podcast. At the beginning of the interview, Moreno expressed his gratitude for Kirk's support. "Thank you, Charlie," Moreno said. "And thank you for your early endorsement. You were with me from the very beginning."

The Moreno campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Moreno suggested white people should get reparations

Moreno himself has also had controversies involving racial issues. When he launched his campaign for Senate, Moreno floated the idea of reparations for white descendants of Union soldiers that were killed during the Civil War. “They talk about reparations. Where are the reparations for the people, for the North, who died to save the lives of Black people?” Moreno said. “I know it’s not politically correct to say that, but you know what, we’ve got to stop being politically correct.”

"We stand on shoulders of people like John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington… That same group of people later, white people, died to free Black people,” Moreno said. A campaign spokesperson for Moreno told the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Bernie was right when he said political correctness is killing our country, and the crocodile tears from the left expose the Democrat hypocrisy he was referring to in the clip.”

Moreno's companies have “faced multiple lawsuits alleging discrimination against employees in the run-up to the sale of his high-end Cleveland car dealership,” the AP reported. One 2017 lawsuit involved “a Black former service manager” at a dealership owned by Moreno, who “alleged that he was targeted for discipline and then demoted after taking concerns to human resources about white peers and a subordinate being paid the same or more than him.” He “claimed racial discrimination led to his demotion and eventual wrongful termination.” The lawsuit was "settled out of court," and the terms of the settlement "were kept private.”

A campaign spokesperson said that “Moreno is ‘a proud minority businessman’ who based his company 'on the colorblind principles of merit and hard work.'” The statement said that “Bernie has always been committed to giving opportunities to all of his workers, regardless of race, color, gender or creed.”

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