Mega Millionaires Bernie Moreno and Matt Dolan Attack Each Other for Trying to Buy Ohio’s Senate Seat
October 4, 2023
Dolan attacks Moreno for breaking his promise to not use his personal wealth to “write [himself] a big fat check”
Columbus, OH – Mega millionaires Bernie Moreno and Matt Dolan are attacking each other for trying to buy a Senate seat after they both wrote themselves a $3 million check last quarter.
Moreno’s decision to dump millions of his own personal fortune into the slugfest comes after claiming months ago that he wasn’t going to “take [his] personal wealth and buy a Senate seat” and that it’s “not right” for wealthy people to “write a big fat check” for themselves. Now, Dolan’s campaign is attacking Moreno for breaking his promise to not self fund, saying “the former used car dealer’s credibility is eroding as quickly as his donor support.”
Moreno has also previously criticized Dolan for using his personal fortune to bankroll his campaign. Dolan, who is already in hot water after a report showed he is using a “cheap loan” and too-good-to-be-true deal to fund his campaign, has now self-funded $7 million this cycle.
“The attacks are flying as mega millionaires Bernie Moreno and Matt Dolan both try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat. One thing is clear as this slugfest escalates, neither Dolan nor Moreno are fighting for Ohioans,” said ODP Spokesperson Reeves Oyster.
Whiplash alert: Months ago, Bernie Moreno claimed he wouldn’t “write [himself] a big fat check” and try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat:
- MORENO: “I won’t do what my opponent’s doing. I will not – well first of all, it’s my money vs. his family’s money, big difference by the way. But I’m not going to take personal wealth and buy a Senate seat. It’s not good for democracy.” [5/16/23]
- The Vindicator: “But when Moreno announced April 18 that he would run for the Senate seat held by Brown, he said: ‘I don’t think it’s right — I think it’s fundamentally bad for democracy — for wealthy people, they’ve got their checkbook, to buy a Senate seat. That’s not right. I won’t do that.’” [4/28/23]
- MORENO: “I don’t think it’s good for democracy for wealthy people to write a big fat check and buy themselves a Senate seat… I am not going to write a check that allows me to buy a Senate seat. It’s not good for democracy.” [4/19/23]
Read more:
The Messenger: Ohio Senate Candidate Matt Dolan Raises $4.1M in Third Quarter, Takes Aim At Rival
Matt Holt
October 4, 2023
- However, the Dolan campaign is taking aim at Moreno and highlighting his past comments that he wouldn’t self-fund his campaign. This quarter, Moreno loaned his campaign $3 million.
- On a podcast in April, Moreno said he was “not going to write a check that allows me to buy a Senate seat. It’s not good for democracy.” And in May, he took aim at Dolan for self-funding his campaign.
- “I won’t do what my opponent’s doing,” Moreno told a crowd at an event. “I will not – well, first of all, it’s my money vs. his family’s money, big difference by the way. But I’m not going to take personal wealth and buy a Senate seat. It’s not good for democracy.”
- “Bernie Moreno pledged to Ohioans on numerous occasions that he wouldn’t self-fund his campaign. What’s clear is that the former used car dealer’s credibility is eroding as quickly as his donor support,” Dolan strategist Chris Maloney told The Messenger.
- In September, The Messenger reported that Dolan played down the value of the Trump endorsement…
See also: Bernie Moreno Decides to Try to Buy Ohio’s Senate Seat After All, Writing $3 Million Check to His Campaign; Matt Dolan Breaks Pledge to Financially Support GOP Candidates Through PAC, Instead Uses It to Funnel Cash to Campaign Consultants; Questions Matt Dolan Must Answer About Shady “Cheap Loan” Bankrolling His Political Campaign; “Good to Be Rich:” Multimillionaire Matt Dolan Uses “Cheap Loan” To Fund Senate Campaign, Avoid Paying Taxes; Bernie Moreno, Matt Dolan Report “Multi-Million Dollar Fortunes”
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