Ohio Republican Senate candidates Matt Dolan (left) and Bernie Moreno (right) (Getty Images)
And an outside super PAC supporting Dolan charged in a recent ad that Moreno's "creepy" and "damaged goods." The spot referred to an Associated Press report which claims that an adult hookup website account was created in 2008 using an email linked to Moreno.
Moreno denied the report and called it "a sick, last-minute attack by desperate people."
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The other major candidate in the Republican primary battle, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, has criticized both of his wealthier rivals, who've pumped millions into their campaigns.
As he voted on Tuesday, LaRose once again jabbed at his rivals, claiming "Dolan certainly has a very long liberal track record. So does Moreno."
Ohio state senator and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Matt Dolan speaks during a campaign event in Columbus, Ohio, Monday, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Moreno, speaking with Fox News Digital after meeting Tuesday morning with Republican activists in suburban Cleveland, predicted that Republicans in the battleground state will rally behind the winner of the primary.
"The entirety of the Republican Party will be behind who ever wins tonight. I believe it will be me," Moreno said.
"We’re all going to be united when this race is called tonight, because we have one singular cause, which is to defeat Sherrod Brown. This is a guy who’s not good for Ohio. He’s not good for Ohio," he claimed. "We need to get control of the United States Senate back and control of the United States Senate runs through Ohio."
Ohio and national Democrats have spotlighted the intra-party fireworks, arguing that the crossfire will weaken the eventual nominee.
But Republican Sen J.D. Vance of Ohio disagrees.
GOP Sen. JD Vance of Ohio (left) campaigns on behalf of GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno (right) as they speak with party activists in Independence, OH, on March 19, 2024. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)
Vance, who is backing Moreno and has campaigned with the candidate continuously across the state the past four days, was the winner of the 2022 GOP Senate primary in Ohio, which was more crowded and combustible than the 2024 edition.
"You see this all the time. You have slugfests in the primary," Vance told Fox News Digital. "I don’t worry at all about these intermural fights carrying over into the general election. They happen all the time and I think Republicans know how to unite and win."
Dolan said that if he wins, he'll preach unity.
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"I’m not interested in dividing the Republican Party. I’m interested in when we put conservative agendas in place, Republicans win. When that happens, Ohioans and Americans are better off. That’s the message I’m running on," he emphasized.
And Moreno agreed that "I think at the end of the day we’ll all come together."
But the candidate did acknowledge that "sometimes it does get personal. That’s OK. Listen, that’s what we signed up for. It’s part of politics."
Fox News' Jamie Vera and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report
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