I had been thinking about Frank LaRose for the next senate seat in Ohio, where Sherrod Brown, the long-time extremely progressive Democrat, is vulnerable. There are three Republicans looking to take a shot at taking on Sherrod Brown, and because he was Secretary of State and I knew the most about him, Frank was well positioned to defeat Sherrod Brown, which will be a tough job under optimal conditions. I remember how tough it was when another person I supported, Jim Renacci, tried to do it a few years back but fell short. Jim left some opportunities on the table, so this has been cooking in the background for quite a while. Winning this seat would significantly impact the balance in the Senate from Democrat control to Republican. But it needs to be a good Republican, and there was an upgrade when Rob Portman stepped down and J.D. Vance won that seat opposite Sherrod Brown. Rob Portman had essentially become a Democrat, and between him and Sherrod Brown, Ohio was not being represented in the federal Senate with conservative values. So, this next chance at Sherrod Brown was critical, and I thought only Frank had a chance. The other guy running is another person I have met a few times, Matt Dolan. He’s a good guy, but he’s a traditional country club Republican who doesn’t think much of Trump supporters, and nobody is going to win anything in Ohio if they don’t have the Trump base. Plus Matt is one of the owners of the Cleveland Guardians baseball team in Cleveland and people haven’t forgotten how he caved to woke pressure to change the name from the Indians, which people miss. So he is damaged goods. Then there was this guy Bernie Mareno, who I didn’t know much about until I met him at a fundraiser for Nancy Nix.
I was surprised that Nancy Nix had already come out in favor of Bernie at that point. But the special election in August hadn’t happened yet, and the loss on Issue 1 essentially damaged Frank LaRose for the foreseeable future. And I couldn’t help but think how funny Bernie Mareno was at that event, which featured comedians for entertainment. That was quite a nice touch by Nancy. Nancy usually has a great sense of people in politics, so I pay attention to who she supports and why, and suddenly, Bernie Mareno looked a lot better for that senate seat. So, I was already leaning in the direction of Bernie when I had a chance to have lunch with him and get to know him better. And I’m glad I did because there are things I learned that I wouldn’t have otherwise come to know about him personally, which makes him to me an emphatic yes on an endorsement. Bernie Mareno is undoubtedly the best Republican to take on Sherrod Brown, and after hearing from his team, they have the best game plan I have heard yet for taking down the long-time Democrat. Bernie was good on all the conservative boxes, great on Ukraine support, great on business first in Ohio, and great on MAGA positions. He has been a successful businessperson, so he has an independence that I find very valuable in political figures. After spending some time with Bernie it was clear to me why Nancy came out so early in endorsing him. Bernie was likable, brilliant, and getting into politics for all the right reasons. Essentially, and I understand completely, he’s at a place where he has been very successful and wants to leave the country in good hands to the next generation.
Unlike Frank LaRose, who is now damaged goods politically because of the Issue 1 failure, and Matt Dolan, who does not like Trump supporters and is best known for changing his name under woke pressure, Bernie Mareno is a well-connected fresh face. He has a great relationship with J.D. Vance, the current senator. I had met J.D. under similar circumstances in the backyard of Nancy Nix, by her pool, ironically. So, it has been interesting to watch this new generation of politicians emerge and build a new teamwork network. And Bernie is undoubtedly part of that because with J.D. Vance also comes relationships with the Trump family, especially Don Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle. Bernie also told me that he had formal endorsements from Charlie Kirk from Turning Point USA, so these were all great things, and there are many more to come. Bernie Mareno had quietly put together all the pieces for a successful run against Sherrod Brown that he would need, which certainly consolidated the Trump MAGA base in Ohio without ostracizing all the other degrees of Republicans along the way, which can be a tricky balance. And he’s full-time committed to running for this seat, which means a lot of leg work across Ohio, which he has already been utilizing, with a lot more work to do. But it’s a tough job, even with great endorsements, and one obvious thing was that Bernie Mareno was a hard worker who was faith-based. We talked about God and moral perspective on the Washington D.C. culture, which he was great at. And he had the right mindset for what it would take and the energy to put it all to work.
I endorse Bernie Mareno for the Ohio Senate seat. I would give it based on what I know about Bernie himself. All the other good stuff is just reassurance. To beat Sherrod Brown, you must be able to tap into his union support in the northeast, and only the Trump base can do that with the percentages needed. There are a lot of union people who support Trump and are willing to vote for Republicans on anything, so long as Trump is part of the story. Then, of course, the rest of the puzzle is that Bernie will have to perform with significant margins in the southwest. Only Bernie has a chance at any of this. I worry about Frank being stubborn and not repairing his brand before another run because he could easily make himself a future Ron DeSantis. You lose a lot of political capital when you suffer a loss, and Frank needs to be part of some wins before he attempts anything like a state race again. And, of course, the MAGA base won’t turn out for Dolan, and at this stage, there is no way to be who he isn’t. Dolan will get soft support and nothing better, and that won’t peel away any votes from Sherrod Brown. Only Bernie Mareno has a plan and personality to pull that off, which is exciting. I’ve heard a lot of happy talk over the years about taking on Sherrod Brown, but nobody has had the gas in the tank to do it. Bernie Mareno does. And I’m looking forward to watching it happen over the coming race. Replacing Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown with J.D. Vance and now Bernie Mareno would be excellent for Republican politics and change the face of the Senate into a much more conservative body of representative government. And it is what Ohio deserves after several long years of the wrong people representing us. We all deserve better, and Bernie Mareno is what we should have had all along.
Rich Hoffman