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The Ohio Senate debate between Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno seems unlikely

Posted on by Kennedy
The Ohio Senate debate between Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno seems unlikely

No debates are scheduled for Ohio's high-stakes Senate race, although both candidates say they are up to the task

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Ohio voters likely won't be able to watch Sen. Sherrod Brown and businessman Bernie Moreno face off onstage before next month's election.

Brown is running for a fourth term against Moreno in one of the most-watched U.S. Senate races in the country that could decide whether Republicans or Democrats control the chamber. The race is on track to become the most expensive non-presidential contest in history, according to political advertising tracking firm AdImpact.

Despite the high stakes, Brown and Moreno have not agreed to a debate — even though both candidates have publicly said they are up to the task.

“I still plan to discuss whether it gets to that point,” Brown told reporters in Columbus on Tuesday. “I would like to discuss. I always said that.”

Hours later, Moreno told WOSU that he had offered to debate his opponent for months: “Sherrod Brown can't stand on a debate stage and debate me because he makes up lie after lie,” he said.

Nexstar-owned stations Fox 8 in Cleveland and NBC4 in Columbus co-hosted a Republican Senate primary debate earlier this year – which Moreno attended – and hoped to do the same in the general election. NBC4 News Director Denise Eck said the idea “did not come to fruition” but did not elaborate further.

The Ohio Debate Commission offered a similar assessment, saying it “invited both campaigns to participate in a debate, and while the invitations were accepted, a formal response has not been received from either candidate.”

Brown's campaign did not respond to questions about debate negotiations.

“Bernie has repeatedly expressed interest in debating Sherrod Brown,” said Moreno spokesman Reagan McCarthy. “We will not negotiate the terms of a debate in the press.”

No debate would set a precedent for Brown, who faced opponents multiple times in his first Senate run in 2006 and subsequent re-election bids. Senator JD Vance and former Congressman Tim Ryan participated in two debates while running for Ohio's open Senate seat in 2022.

However, campaigns often clash with organizers over rules and moderators, and some choose to avoid debates altogether. Gov. Mike DeWine, for example, declined to debate former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley when she ran for governor two years ago.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which covers the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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