Bernie Moreno — U.S. Senator (OH)
Category: Federal Legislator — U.S. Senator Role: U.S. Senator, Ohio (2025–present); Senate Banking, Budget, Commerce, and Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committees Priority: P2
Who Is Bernie Moreno?
Bernardo Francisco Moreno Mejía (born November 1967, Bogotá, Colombia) is a Republican U.S. Senator from Ohio, sworn in January 3, 2025. He became Ohio’s senior senator approximately one week later when JD Vance resigned the seat to assume the vice presidency. Moreno is the first Hispanic American senator from Ohio and one of the first two Colombian-American U.S. senators.
Moreno’s family immigrated from Colombia to Florida when he was a child. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan. After college, he worked at General Motors as an analyst and field consultant for the Saturn Corporation, then moved to Massachusetts in the early 1990s to manage a Saturn dealership at The Herb Chambers Companies.
In 2005 he relocated to Ohio and purchased a Mercedes-Benz dealership in North Olmsted, near Cleveland. By 2016 he owned more than a dozen dealerships, predominantly in Ohio. In 2018 he founded Blockland, a civic initiative aimed at making Cleveland a blockchain technology hub, and co-founded Ownum, a blockchain-based digital titling company (products included CHAMPtitles for vehicle titles and Vital Chain for birth and death certificates). In 2019 he sold seven of his dealerships to focus on Ownum. In April 2023 he cashed out his Ownum shares, reporting them as worth at least $5 million on his disclosure.
Moreno serves on the Senate Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Budget; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. His subcommittee assignments include the Digital Assets Subcommittee (Banking) and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (Homeland Security).
Documented Actions: 2020 Election Position Reversal
November 2020: Congratulated Biden, Urged Conservatives to Accept the Result
Following the November 2020 election, Moreno (then a Cleveland businessman) posted publicly on Twitter congratulating Joe Biden as president-elect and urging his “conservative friends” to accept the results of the election. He separately praised mail-in voting and said he himself would accept the results. These posts were later deleted from his account.
Source: CNN KFile, “Trump-backed OH Senate candidate blamed him for Jan 6th in deleted posts, tied Trump’s popularity to ‘ignorance,'” reporting on archived posts; The Daily Beast, “Pro-Trump Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Didn’t Scrub All of His Anti-Trump Tweets” [publication dates not available in search results — to be verified].
December 2020: Criticized Trump’s Fraud Claims as “Without Proof”
In a now-deleted December 2020 tweet, Moreno said it had been wrong for Democrats to accuse Trump of collusion with Russia, “but just as bad for [Trump] to make claims of a fraudulent election without proof.”
Source: CNN KFile reporting on archived/deleted posts [publication date not available — to be verified].
December 2021: Campaign Ad Endorsing “Stolen Election” Framing
In December 2021, Moreno’s nascent Senate campaign released an ad in which he said: “President Trump says the election was stolen, and he’s right.” In a separate interview at the time, Moreno acknowledged he had no evidence to support the claim.
Source: Spectrum News 1 Ohio, “Ohio Senate candidate supporter denier 2020 election results,” December 17, 2021.
March 2024: Declined to Say Whether Trump Lost the 2020 Election
After winning the Ohio Republican Senate primary in March 2024, Moreno publicly refused to say whether he believed Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election or whether the election had been stolen.
Source: CNN, “Moreno won’t say if Trump lost the 2020 election or if it was stolen,” March 24, 2024.
Spokesperson Statement on January 6
Moreno’s campaign spokesperson stated that Moreno “believes that while January 6th unfortunately devolved into a riot, it was not an Insurrection, as the media has ridiculously attempted to claim,” and that “January 6th has exposed a two-tiered justice system in this country.”
Source: CNN KFile reporting [publication date not available — to be verified].
Moreno was not a federal officeholder on January 6, 2021. He did not vote on the Electoral Count and did not sign the January 2, 2021 joint senators’ statement demanding a 10-day audit commission.
Documented Actions: 2024 Senate Campaign
March 2024: Won Ohio Republican Senate Primary
Moreno won the Ohio Republican Senate primary on March 19, 2024, defeating state senator Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in December 2023.
Source: The Washington Post, “Trump-backed candidate Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate primary,” March 19, 2024; NBC News, “Trump-backed Bernie Moreno wins Ohio’s Republican Senate primary,” March 19, 2024.
March 2024: Adult Friend Finder Profile Reporting
The Associated Press reported in March 2024 that an “nardo19672” profile on the Adult Friend Finder hookup site had been linked to Moreno’s work email address through 2016 leaked breach data. Moreno’s lawyer provided a statement from a former intern, Dan Ricci, who said he had created the profile as a “juvenile prank” in 2008. The AP noted it could not independently verify who created the account — only that the email tied to it was Moreno’s. The reporting is included here as part of the documented public record of the 2024 campaign; this profile takes no position on the underlying facts beyond what each named source reported.
Source: Associated Press reporting, March 2024; The Daily Beast, “Trump-Backed Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Says Gay Hookup Profile Was Ex-Intern’s ‘Prank'”; Slate, “Ohio Senate race: The Bernie Moreno Adult Friend Finder scandal, explained,” March 2024 [exact publication dates not available — to be verified].
September 2024: “Suburban Women Past 50” Abortion Comments
At a Warren County, Ohio town hall in September 2024, Moreno said: “Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ … OK. It’s a little crazy, by the way, but — especially for women that are, like, past 50 — I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you.'” His campaign described the remark as a “tongue-in-cheek joke.” Ohio voters had passed a constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights in November 2023.
Source: NBC News, “Ohio GOP Senate candidate says ‘a lot of suburban women’ are ‘single-issue voters’ on abortion,” September 2024; CNN; Newsweek, “Bernie Moreno Attacks Ohio Women Over Abortion: ‘Little Crazy'”; The Statehouse News Bureau, “Republicans, independents say they won’t vote for Moreno after comments on women and abortion,” September 26, 2024.
November 2024: Defeated Sen. Sherrod Brown
On November 5, 2024, Moreno defeated three-term incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Reporting and post-election analyses documented that the cryptocurrency industry spent more than $40 million in outside support of Moreno’s campaign, primarily through the Fairshake PAC and its affiliates — the largest single sectoral expenditure in a 2024 Senate race.
Source: NBC News, “Republican Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate race over Democrat Sherrod Brown,” November 6, 2024; DL News, “Crypto champion Bernie Moreno wins Senate seat in Ohio with $40m in industry cash,” November 2024; Common Dreams, “Crypto Industry’s $40 Million Defeat of Pro-Worker Sherrod Brown Called ‘Obscene'” [publication dates to be verified].
Documented Actions: U.S. Senate (2025–2026)
January–February 2025: Voted to Confirm Trump Cabinet Nominees
Moreno publicly committed prior to taking office to support “every single one” of Trump’s cabinet nominees and voted to confirm the full slate, including the most narrowly confirmed and most contested nominees — Pete Hegseth (Defense), Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence), Kash Patel (FBI Director), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health and Human Services), and Linda McMahon (Education). Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was the only Republican to break with the conference on multiple high-profile nominees; Moreno did not.
Source: Ballotpedia, “How senators voted on Trump Cabinet nominees, 2025”; CBS News, “Here’s how every senator voted on confirming Trump’s top officials”; The Washington Post, “How senators are voting to confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks,” January 29, 2025; The Statehouse News Bureau, “Ohio’s US senator-elect says he’s ready to hit ground running with cabinet votes,” November 25, 2024.
November 2025: Introduced the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 (S.3283)
On November 2025, Moreno introduced S.3283, the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, which as drafted would: (1) require any current U.S. dual citizen to file a written renunciation of either their foreign citizenship (to the Secretary of State) or their U.S. citizenship (to the Secretary of Homeland Security) within one year of enactment; (2) automatically deem any U.S. citizen who subsequently acquires foreign citizenship to have relinquished their U.S. citizenship; and (3) establish a federal registry to track dual citizens. The bill has one cosponsor, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), and has not advanced out of committee. GovTrack’s forecasting model assigned it a 3% chance of enactment.
The bill raises significant constitutional questions under Afroyim v. Rusk (1967), in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment bars Congress from involuntarily revoking the citizenship of a U.S. citizen absent voluntary renunciation. Democrats Abroad and multiple immigration-law commentators have publicly called the proposal unconstitutional.
Source: S.3283, Congress.gov, “119th Congress (2025-2026): Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025”; Moreno Senate press release, “New Moreno Bill to Outlaw Dual Citizenship”; The Hill, “Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno introduces bill that would eliminate dual citizenship” [publication date to be verified]; Democrats Abroad, “Statement on Senator Moreno’s Unconstitutional Citizenship Proposal” [publication date to be verified]; The New Republic, “My Dual Citizenship Is None of Bernie Moreno’s Business” [publication date to be verified].
February 2026: American Lending Fairness Act of 2026
On February 12, 2026, Moreno introduced the American Lending Fairness Act of 2026, referred to the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
Source: Congress.gov, Senator Bernie Moreno legislative record; LegisLetter, “Sen. Bernie Moreno (OH) — Voting Record, Bills & 2026 Midterms.”
April 2026: CLARITY Act Ultimatum and Connected Vehicle Security Act
On April 23, 2026, Moreno publicly issued an end-of-May 2026 deadline for Senate passage of the CLARITY Act, a cryptocurrency market-structure bill. On April 29, 2026, he introduced the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, referred to the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
Source: Disruption Banking, “CLARITY Act Deadline: Senator Moreno’s End-of-May Ultimatum Is Congress’s Last Real Chance,” April 23, 2026; Congress.gov, Senator Bernie Moreno legislative record.
Floor Attendance
From January 2025 to June 2026, Moreno missed 5 of 840 roll call votes (0.6%), better than the median attendance among sitting senators.
Source: GovTrack.us, Senator Bernie Moreno; Senate.gov voting record.
Pattern Analysis
Moreno’s documented record shows a sharp, publicly visible repositioning between November 2020 (when he urged conservatives to accept Biden’s win and criticized Trump’s fraud claims) and December 2021 (when his nascent campaign ad endorsed the “stolen election” framing he simultaneously admitted he could not substantiate). Once seated in the Senate, he has consistently voted with the Trump administration on its most contested confirmations and introduced legislation — the Exclusive Citizenship Act in particular — that constitutional commentators have flagged as facially incompatible with Afroyim v. Rusk.
The campaign-finance record is also significant: more than $40 million in cryptocurrency-industry outside spending materially shaped the 2024 Ohio Senate race, and Moreno’s subsequent Senate work has centered on crypto market-structure legislation (CLARITY Act) and digital-assets policy. This is documented public conduct, not an allegation of quid pro quo.
Severity Assessment
Immediate harm: Limited — no documented role in 2020 election certification or January 6. Democratic erosion: Moderate — publicly endorsed the “stolen election” framing while acknowledging no evidence; has introduced legislation (S.3283) that legal commentators describe as unconstitutional under controlling Supreme Court precedent. Current threat level: Moderate — sitting senator through January 2031; serves on four committees including Banking and Homeland Security; consistent Trump-administration ally in the conference.
Accountability Status
Current status: Serving as senior U.S. Senator, Ohio; term ends January 2031 Legal exposure: No known criminal charges or investigations as of the date of this profile. Election status: Up for reelection in 2030.
Investigative Trail Pointers (Public Records)
Education only — verify independently. Absence of hits is not proof.
| Channel | Starting points |
|---|---|
| Senate votes | senate.gov roll call votes; moreno.senate.gov/voting-record |
| Legislation | Congress.gov member page M001242; S.3283 (Exclusive Citizenship Act) |
| Campaign finance | FEC committee C00837484 (Bernie Moreno for Senate); OpenSecrets; Fairshake PAC filings |
| Financial disclosure | U.S. Senate Office of Public Records — Moreno annual financial disclosures (Ownum divestment 2023) |
| Business record | Ohio Secretary of State business filings — dealership entities; Ownum / Champ Titles SEC and state filings |
| Pre-Senate statements | Wayback Machine and Politwoops archives of @berniemoreno Twitter/X (2019–2024) |
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Sources
- Wikipedia, “Bernie Moreno”; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Moreno
- GovTrack.us, “Sen. Bernie Moreno [R-OH, 2025-2030]”; https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/bernie_moreno/456967
- Congress.gov, “Senator Bernie Moreno” (M001242); https://www.congress.gov/member/bernie-moreno/M001242
- Senate.gov, “Voting Record — Bernie Moreno”; https://www.moreno.senate.gov/voting-record/
- Senate.gov, “New Moreno Bill to Outlaw Dual Citizenship”; https://www.moreno.senate.gov/press-releases/new-moreno-bill-to-outlaw-dual-citizenship/
- Congress.gov, “S.3283 — 119th Congress (2025-2026): Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025”; https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3283
- NBC News, “Republican Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate race over Democrat Sherrod Brown,” November 6, 2024; https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/bernie-moreno-ohio-senate-win-election-sherrod-brown-rcna173881
- The Washington Post, “Trump-backed candidate Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate primary,” March 19, 2024; https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/19/bernie-moreno-ohio-senate-primary/
- NBC News, “Trump-backed Bernie Moreno wins Ohio’s Republican Senate primary,” March 19, 2024; https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ohio-senate-primary-republican-bernie-moreno-matt-dolan-rcna142860
- NBC News, “Trump wades into key 2024 Senate race, endorsing Bernie Moreno in Ohio,” December 2023; https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-wades-key-2024-senate-race-endorsing-bernie-moreno-ohio-rcna130522
- CNN KFile, “Trump-backed OH Senate candidate blamed him for Jan 6th in deleted posts”; https://www.cnn.com/kfile-bernie-moreno-ohio-criticized-trump-deleted-posts/index.html [publication date to be verified]
- CNN, “Moreno won’t say if Trump lost the 2020 election or if it was stolen,” March 24, 2024; https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/24/politics/moreno-wont-say-if-trump-lost-the-2020-election-or-if-it-was-stolen/index.html
- Spectrum News 1 Ohio, “Ohio Senate candidate supporter denier 2020 election results,” December 17, 2021; https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2021/12/17/ohio-senate-candidate-supporter-denier-2020-election-results
- The Daily Beast, “Trump-Backed Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Says Gay Hookup Profile Was Ex-Intern’s ‘Prank’: Report”; https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-backed-senate-candidate-bernie-moreno-says-gay-hookup-profile-was-ex-interns-prank-report/ [publication date to be verified]
- Slate, “Ohio Senate race: The Bernie Moreno Adult Friend Finder scandal, explained,” March 2024; https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/03/ohio-senate-race-bernie-moreno-adult-friend-finder-explained.html
- NBC News, “Ohio GOP Senate candidate says ‘a lot of suburban women’ are ‘single-issue voters’ on abortion,” September 2024; https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ohio-gop-senate-candidate-says-lot-suburban-women-are-single-issue-vot-rcna172585
- The Statehouse News Bureau, “Republicans, independents say they won’t vote for Moreno after comments on women and abortion,” September 26, 2024; https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2024-09-26/republicans-independents-say-they-wont-vote-for-moreno-after-comments-on-women-and-abortion
- DL News, “Crypto champion Bernie Moreno wins Senate seat in Ohio with $40m in industry cash”; https://www.dlnews.com/articles/regulation/bernie-moreno-wins-ohio-from-crypto-sceptic-sherrod-brown/ [publication date to be verified]
- Common Dreams, “Crypto Industry’s $40 Million Defeat of Pro-Worker Sherrod Brown Called ‘Obscene'”; https://www.commondreams.org/news/sherrod-brown-crypto [publication date to be verified]
- Ballotpedia, “How senators voted on Trump Cabinet nominees, 2025”; https://ballotpedia.org/How_senators_voted_on_Trump_Cabinet_nominees,_2025
- CBS News, “Here’s how every senator voted on confirming Trump’s top officials”; https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-vote-trump-cabinet-picks-top-nominees/ [publication date to be verified]
- The Washington Post, “How senators are voting to confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks,” January 29, 2025; https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/29/senate-confirmation-vote-trump-cabinet-picks/
- The Statehouse News Bureau, “Ohio’s US senator-elect says he’s ready to hit ground running with cabinet votes,” November 25, 2024; https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2024-11-25/ohios-us-senator-elect-says-hes-ready-to-hit-ground-running-with-cabinet-votes
- Disruption Banking, “CLARITY Act Deadline: Senator Moreno’s End-of-May Ultimatum Is Congress’s Last Real Chance,” April 23, 2026; https://www.disruptionbanking.com/2026/04/23/clarity-act-deadline-senator-morenos-end-of-may-ultimatum-is-congresss-last-real-chance/
- The Hill, “Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno introduces bill that would eliminate dual citizenship”; https://thehill.com/policy/international/5629349-ohio-moreno-us-dual-citizenship/ [publication date to be verified]
- Democrats Abroad, “Statement on Senator Moreno’s Unconstitutional Citizenship Proposal”; https://www.democratsabroad.org/da_statement_on_moreno_bill [publication date to be verified]
- WOSU Public Media, “Who is Bernie Moreno? Car salesman turned politician sells his ideas to Ohio voters,” September 24, 2024; https://www.wosu.org/2024-09-24/who-is-bernie-moreno-car-salesman-turned-politician-sells-his-ideas-to-ohio-voters
- FEC.gov, “BERNIE MORENO FOR SENATE — committee overview” (C00837484); https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00837484/
Last Updated: June 21, 2026 Profile Status: Draft — pending Peter’s review and promotion via make promote SLUG=bernie-moreno-senator-profile