Republican challenger Bernie Moreno defeated three-term Democrat Sherrod Brown in their Ohio Senate race Tuesday, a victory that secured the majority for the GOP in the upper chamber.
Newsmax called the race for Moreno with 85% of the precincts reporting and the challenger holding more than a 5-point lead.
Combined with Jim Justice’s victory for the open Senate seat in West Virginia, Moreno’s victory tipped the balance in favor of Republicans, 51-49, with the potential for more pickups in Montana, Arizona and Nevada.
A Senate majority would help Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump enact an aggressive agenda should he hold on to defeat Democrat Kamala Harris. A majority also works to help Trump get another Supreme Court nominee confirmed over the next four years, should a justice retire.
Brown, 71, won reelection by 6.8 points in 2018.
Moreno, 57, an immigrant from Colombia, during an acceptance speech in Cleveland 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."