Bernie Moreno speaks after being named projected winner of Ohio's US Senate race #shorts

Bernie Moreno will now take over Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat which Brown has held since 2007.

Republican businessman Bernie Moreno defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a highly contested U.S. Senate race in Ohio.

Moreno will now take the seat that Brown has held since 2007. He will be the first Latino to represent Ohio in the Senate.

Trump-backed Moreno came back this year for his second attempt at winning the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate after falling short in 2022 to JD Vance. In March, he defeated Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan in the Republican primary to secure his spot in the general election.

With spending that hit $500 million, this was the most expensive Senate race this year and one of the most expensive in U.S. history.

In the race, Moreno has pitched himself as a political outsider and immigrant whose family built its way out of rudimentary beginnings in the U.S. thanks to the American dream.

Moreno built his fortune as a luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur. He will be among the top eight wealthiest U.S. senators, based on the most recent data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, with an estimated net worth between $25.5 million and $105.7 million.

Moreno’s business background and wealth helped him win over Trump during a contentious GOP primary this spring that included questions about a profile created with Moreno’s email account on an adult website – a profile Moreno’s lawyer said was created by a former intern as a prank. Moreno retained support from Trump during the controversy and was given a coveted speaking spot at the Republican National Convention.

During an acceptance speech in Cleveland, Moreno pledged to serve all Ohioans and to work to win over those who voted against him.

“We talked about wanting a red wave. I think what we have tonight is a red, white and blue wave,” he said. “Because what we need in the United States of America is leaders in Washington, D.C., that actually put the interests of American citizens above all else. We're tired of being treated like second-class citizens in our own country. We're tired of leaders that think we're garbage and we're tired of being treated like garbage.”

Brown, 71, one of Ohio’s longest serving and best known politicians, had sought to appeal to Trump crossover voters by emphasizing his work with presidents of both parties and to woo independents and Democrats by promoting his efforts to boost middle class workers.

He told supporters Tuesday night that his beliefs in the dignity of work and the power of people over corporate special interests will never change.

“This is a disappointment, but it is not a failure,” Brown said. “It will never be wrong to fight for organized labor, it will never be wrong to fight for the freedom of women to make their health care decisions, it surely will never be wrong to fight for civil rights and human rights. Tonight I am sad, but I am never giving up and neither is Connie.”