Ohio GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno was widely mocked after telling reporters he'd take "tough questions"—only to quickly backtrack when asked about abortion.
Moreno, who is challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, stationed himself outside Brown’s office in Washington, D.C., pledging to address reporters' questions, regardless of how "tough" they might be.
For all his talk about "transparency" and "accountability," he did not want to actually be held to his own standards—especially when one reporter questioned him about his stance on reproductive freedom—and proceeded to attack both Brown and President Joe Biden.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
He said:
“I can tell you this. If I’m here, I will talk to you at any point in time – even take tough questions. Senator Brown won’t do that. And again, I should tell you some things again.”
“Didn’t we see that with Biden? They kept him in a cocoon. They kept in the basement, refused to take questions. Even the White House said today's [NATO press conference] is the 'big boy press conference.'"
"That's insane. You can't come out here and talk to the media, talk to reporters and give your position, being unequivocally clear you've got no business being in elected office and I think that's generationally what we've got to get rid of."
"These guys hide behind their staff, hide behind their offices, zoom from one meeting to another so they're not held accountable. Those days have got to be over. We need people to be clear and transparent so people can understand."
"Sometimes, by the way, that means you're going to be controversial. You're going to say something that not everybody agrees on but that's what you owe your voters."
At this point, a reporter asked him the following question:
“You said earlier this week that you support some restrictions on abortions after 15 weeks. Do you think that that contradicts with the party’s new platform?”
The reporter, identified as Andrew Desiderio from Punchbowl News, referred not just to Moreno's support for abortion restrictions but also the new GOP party platform that was approved without including "pro-life language."
Last week, the party unveiled a new platform, the first since 2016, emphasizing state-level control over reproductive rights in a post-Roe America. For the first time in many years, the platform excludes any reference to a 20-week national abortion ban or a constitutional amendment protecting the sanctity of life, in an attempt to cover up the party's radical position on abortion rights.
The 2024 platform references abortion only once, in opposition to late-term procedures. It otherwise delegates control of the issue to the states, arguing that the 14th Amendment "guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and that the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights."
But Moreno backtracked immediately and proceeded to attack both Brown and Biden:
“Look, we’re not here to talk about abortion. My position is crystal, crystal clear. Has not changed on abortion. You’re gonna see the Democrats pull out everything they’ve got to try to change the subject."
"Let me just restate this again. You have somebody at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that is incapable, does not have the mental acumen to complete his duties."
"We’ve never been in this situation as a country in modern American history. And it was covered up by the Democrats like Sherrod Brown.”
Moreno's hypocrisy was swiftly called out.
Moreno currently trails Brown anywhere between five and eight points, according to the most recent polling data, and his personal life and legal issues have faced significant scrutiny.
In 2023, Moreno settled more than a dozen wage theft lawsuits before launching his Senate campaign. He was ordered to pay over $400,000 to two former employees and was reprimanded by a state judge for shredding documents potentially related to the case.
A report released earlier this year revealed that Moreno had faced two lawsuits alleging gender and age-based discrimination. Moreno's campaign responded by stating that both employees who sued him now support his Senate bid.
Despite previously criticizing former Donald Trump, whom he once referred to as a "maniac," Moreno has since declared his allegiance, touting Trump's endorsement. His daughter Emily is married to Representative Max Miller, a fellow Ohio Republican who was one of Trump's top White House aides and has backed Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen.
