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BAD NEWS BERNIE: Moreno Owes Ohioans Answers As His “Dubious Claims” Surface 

March 29, 2024

Columbus, OH – The first full week of the general election is drawing to a close, and multiple “dubious claims” about Bernie Moreno’s personal story are already surfacing. Whether it’s his lies about escaping socialism that “do not withstand historical scrutiny,” or his claims he built his business without “handouts” despite receiving an insider deal, Moreno has a lot of questions to answer as it becomes clear that he is only out for himself.

NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK:

  • Bernie Moreno has centered his candidacy on claims he built his car dealership business “all on his own” and without “handouts” – but in reality, he received an insider deal that allowed him to purchase it at a “dramatically reduced price.”

🔥 PANTS ON FIRE: Bernie Moreno was caught lying about “escaping” socialism after relying on “dubious” claims that he came to the United States from Colombia to “form a central part of [his] campaign message.” The truth? Moreno’s claims “do not withstand historical scrutiny.” Read what they’re saying:

  • The Guardian: “Bernie Moreno…says his family fled socialism when they came to the US from Colombia in 1971, when he was four years old. Though such statements formed a central part of Moreno’s campaign message…they do not withstand historical scrutiny.”
  • Politico: “Bernie Moreno’s family history is under scrutiny.” 
  • Cleveland.com: “Although GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno says his family fled socialism when it came to the US from Colombia in 1971, the first leftwing Colombian government in modern times didn’t come into power until 2022, the Guardian reports.” 
  • Roll Call: “Bernie Moreno, the Republican nominee in Ohio’s hotly contested Senate race, has long said his family fled socialist Colombia and settled in the United States. But The Guardian examined Moreno’s claim and found that the dates don’t add up.” 
  • Raw Story: “Bernie Moreno…has long intimated that his family decided to immigrate to America from their native Colombia to escape the economic landscape created by ‘socialism.’[…] However…at the time Moreno’s family left Colombia in the early 1970s, there was nothing at all resembling socialism running the country.”

🤥 ANOTHER PINOCCHIO FOR MORENO: Bernie Moreno claims he built his car dealership business “all on his own” and without “handouts” – but in reality, Moreno received an insider deal on his first dealership after Mercedes-Benz strong-armed the owner into selling it to him at a “dramatically reduced price.”

❌ ABORTION BAN BERNIE: As the Supreme Court began arguments in the mifepristone case this week, here’s your reminder that Bernie Moreno supports a national abortion ban and would overturn the will of Ohioans. Moreno has said he is “100% pro-life with no exceptions” and that he is “absolute pro-life, no exceptions,” and he opposed Ohio’s November Issue 1 and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Moreno has made it clear he puts himself first – not the overwhelming majority of Ohioans who voted to protect abortion rights. 

🩺 BERNI-ELIMINATE OHIOANS’ HEALTHCARE: This week marked the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act – but Bernie Moreno would vote to eliminate the ACA and strip healthcare from Ohioans. Moreno “expressed opposition to the Affordable Care Act,” which if eliminated would put 857,000 Ohioans at risk of losing their coverage and put 2 million Ohioans with a preexisting condition at risk of being denied healthcare and facing higher costs. 

 🗞️ WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING / WATCHING:

  • The Guardian: “[Moreno] has made dubious claims in his campaign”
  • WCPN: “Ohio Democrats have been pretty aggressive… and so I think Democrats do intend to use the baggage they see Moreno carries.” 
  • Business Insider: “Moreno, an immigrant from Colombia, has frequently touted… his ability to do it all on his own […] yet when Moreno bought his first car dealership in 2005, he got some extra help”
  • Washington Post:  “Moreno himself is an untested candidate…He has some potential skeletons in his closet.”

🐤 TWEET OF THE WEEK: 

🎶 CODA: “[Moreno is] a low-character candidate whose closet might be filled with enough skeletons to erode the possibility of victory.” – Brent Larkin, Cleveland.com

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