Bernie Moreno | |
---|---|
Born | Bernardo Moreno February 14, 1967
Bogotá, Colombia |
Education | University of Michigan |
Occupation | Businessman |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Bridget Moreno |
Children | 4 |
Relatives |
|
Website | Campaign website |
Bernardo Moreno (born February 14, 1967) is a Colombian-American businessman and political candidate. He is the Republican nominee in the 2024 United States Senate election in Ohio, challenging incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown.
Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia. His father, Bernardo Moreno Sr., was a physician and held high-ranking positions in the Colombian government. When Moreno was five, his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he grew up, [1] and where his father became a surgical assistant and his mother a real-estate agent. When Moreno was 18, he officially became a U.S. citizen. [2] He attended the University of Michigan and graduated with a degree in business administration [3] before taking a job at General Motors. [4]
Moreno is the president of the Collection Auto Group, a car dealership company. [5]
At 26, he moved to Boston [6] to become the general manager at a Saturn dealership. [7] He moved to Ohio in 2005 and bought his first car dealership, a Mercedes-Benz dealership in North Olmsted. [8] [9] [10] In 2019, he began to sell a number of his dealerships to focus on his new blockchain-based technology company, Ownum. [11] A 2024 report found that Moreno had faced two lawsuits alleging gender and age-based discrimination; Moreno's campaign responded by saying both employees who sued him now support his Senate campaign. [12]
Moreno was appointed to the board of trustees for the MetroHealth System in October 2019. [13] While a trustee, he faced criticism in March 2020 for questioning public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. [14]
In April 2021, Moreno entered the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to replace the retiring incumbent Rob Portman. [15] On February 3, 2022, Moreno dropped out of the race after reportedly meeting with former President Donald Trump. [16]
On April 10, 2023, Moreno filed paperwork to run for Ohio's Class I seat in the U.S. Senate up for election in 2024. [17] Donald Trump endorsed Moreno in December 2023. [18] Moreno won the Republican primary on March 19, 2024, defeating Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose. [19]
In the run-up to the Republican primary in March 2024, an Associated Press report found that an account on adult website Adult FriendFinder had been created by someone with access to Moreno's email. The account, named "nardo19672" and registered in Fort Lauderdale where Moreno's parents owned a house, sought "men for 1-on-1 sex". [20] In a statement provided to the Associated Press by Moreno's lawyer, a former intern said he wrote the post and described it as an "aborted prank". [21]
Running on an outsider image, he has expressed positions on big tech, such as breaking up monopolies via anti-trust laws and "ending wokeness". [22]
Moreno opposes abortion, describing himself as "Absolute pro-life. No exceptions." [23] He has also expressed support for exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother's life is in danger. [24] He supports a federal 15-week ban on abortions. [25] Moreno has argued against federal funding of Planned Parenthood. He supports access to contraception. [26] [27]
Before his Senate campaign, he expressed support for the LGBT community, with his business sponsoring Cleveland and Akron's hosting of 2014 Gay Games. In a 2016 interview, Moreno credited the TV series Modern Family as having changed perceptions on gay marriage, noting that his eldest son was gay. During his 2024 Senate run, he accused LGBT activists of advancing a radical agenda of indoctrination. [28]
Moreno has said energy is a top priority, expressing support for using coal, and oil, extracting natural gas, as well as building more nuclear plants. [29]
On immigration, Moreno has expressed support for building a wall on the United States Southern Border, deploying military personnel on the border, and designating Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Moreno has also repeatedly called for an end to birthright citizenship. [30] [31] In 2016, he expressed support for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, saying "we need to help them come out of the shadows", [32] but now supports deporting them. [33]
Moreno has called for an end to U.S. support for Ukraine in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. He has expressed support for Israel and has said Israel needs to "end Hamas — end it like we ended ISIS." After the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Moreno argued Israel does not need any additional funding from the United States. [34]
Moreno in 2016 described Trump as a "lunatic invading [the Republican Party]" and said he could not support a Republican Party led by "that maniac". [35] He wrote in a tweet that he had written in a vote for Marco Rubio in the 2016 presidential election. [36] During a 2019 radio interview said, "there's no scenario in which I would support Trump." Moreno later became a "supporter" of Donald Trump and has said, "I wear with honor my endorsement from President Trump." [37] [38]
After the 2020 presidential election, Moreno criticized those denying the results of the election, but in 2021 expressed his belief that the election had been "stolen". [36]
Moreno previously expressed support for background checks for gun owners and in an interview said "What gun do you need with 100 bullets in it?". When asked about these remarks, a spokesperson for his campaign said it was "unequivocally" not his position today. [33]
In 2023, Moreno said that reparations should be paid to the descendants of white Civil War soldiers who helped to free slaves. [39]
In January 2024, it was revealed that Moreno had settled over a dozen wage theft lawsuits in the months before launching his campaign. Those settlements came after a jury ordered Moreno to pay over $400,000 to two former employees at his Massachusetts dealership for failing to pay overtime in accordance with state labor laws. As he faced those lawsuits, Moreno admitted in a deposition to shredding documents containing potentially relevant information to the case despite being instructed to preserve records — drawing a rebuke from a state judge. [40]
Moreno and his wife, Bridget, live Westlake, Ohio as of 2024 [update]. The couple have four adult children. [41] His daughter Emily is married to congressman Max Miller. [42]
His brother, Luis Alberto Moreno, is a former Colombian Ambassador to the United States. [2]
Bernie Moreno | |
---|---|
Born | Bernardo Moreno February 14, 1967
Bogotá, Colombia |
Education | University of Michigan |
Occupation | Businessman |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Bridget Moreno |
Children | 4 |
Relatives |
|
Website | Campaign website |
Bernardo Moreno (born February 14, 1967) is a Colombian-American businessman and political candidate. He is the Republican nominee in the 2024 United States Senate election in Ohio, challenging incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown.
Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia. His father, Bernardo Moreno Sr., was a physician and held high-ranking positions in the Colombian government. When Moreno was five, his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he grew up, [1] and where his father became a surgical assistant and his mother a real-estate agent. When Moreno was 18, he officially became a U.S. citizen. [2] He attended the University of Michigan and graduated with a degree in business administration [3] before taking a job at General Motors. [4]
Moreno is the president of the Collection Auto Group, a car dealership company. [5]
At 26, he moved to Boston [6] to become the general manager at a Saturn dealership. [7] He moved to Ohio in 2005 and bought his first car dealership, a Mercedes-Benz dealership in North Olmsted. [8] [9] [10] In 2019, he began to sell a number of his dealerships to focus on his new blockchain-based technology company, Ownum. [11] A 2024 report found that Moreno had faced two lawsuits alleging gender and age-based discrimination; Moreno's campaign responded by saying both employees who sued him now support his Senate campaign. [12]
Moreno was appointed to the board of trustees for the MetroHealth System in October 2019. [13] While a trustee, he faced criticism in March 2020 for questioning public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. [14]
In April 2021, Moreno entered the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to replace the retiring incumbent Rob Portman. [15] On February 3, 2022, Moreno dropped out of the race after reportedly meeting with former President Donald Trump. [16]
On April 10, 2023, Moreno filed paperwork to run for Ohio's Class I seat in the U.S. Senate up for election in 2024. [17] Donald Trump endorsed Moreno in December 2023. [18] Moreno won the Republican primary on March 19, 2024, defeating Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose. [19]
In the run-up to the Republican primary in March 2024, an Associated Press report found that an account on adult website Adult FriendFinder had been created by someone with access to Moreno's email. The account, named "nardo19672" and registered in Fort Lauderdale where Moreno's parents owned a house, sought "men for 1-on-1 sex". [20] In a statement provided to the Associated Press by Moreno's lawyer, a former intern said he wrote the post and described it as an "aborted prank". [21]
Running on an outsider image, he has expressed positions on big tech, such as breaking up monopolies via anti-trust laws and "ending wokeness". [22]
Moreno opposes abortion, describing himself as "Absolute pro-life. No exceptions." [23] He has also expressed support for exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother's life is in danger. [24] He supports a federal 15-week ban on abortions. [25] Moreno has argued against federal funding of Planned Parenthood. He supports access to contraception. [26] [27]
Before his Senate campaign, he expressed support for the LGBT community, with his business sponsoring Cleveland and Akron's hosting of 2014 Gay Games. In a 2016 interview, Moreno credited the TV series Modern Family as having changed perceptions on gay marriage, noting that his eldest son was gay. During his 2024 Senate run, he accused LGBT activists of advancing a radical agenda of indoctrination. [28]
Moreno has said energy is a top priority, expressing support for using coal, and oil, extracting natural gas, as well as building more nuclear plants. [29]
On immigration, Moreno has expressed support for building a wall on the United States Southern Border, deploying military personnel on the border, and designating Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Moreno has also repeatedly called for an end to birthright citizenship. [30] [31] In 2016, he expressed support for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, saying "we need to help them come out of the shadows", [32] but now supports deporting them. [33]
Moreno has called for an end to U.S. support for Ukraine in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. He has expressed support for Israel and has said Israel needs to "end Hamas — end it like we ended ISIS." After the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Moreno argued Israel does not need any additional funding from the United States. [34]
Moreno in 2016 described Trump as a "lunatic invading [the Republican Party]" and said he could not support a Republican Party led by "that maniac". [35] He wrote in a tweet that he had written in a vote for Marco Rubio in the 2016 presidential election. [36] During a 2019 radio interview said, "there's no scenario in which I would support Trump." Moreno later became a "supporter" of Donald Trump and has said, "I wear with honor my endorsement from President Trump." [37] [38]
After the 2020 presidential election, Moreno criticized those denying the results of the election, but in 2021 expressed his belief that the election had been "stolen". [36]
Moreno previously expressed support for background checks for gun owners and in an interview said "What gun do you need with 100 bullets in it?". When asked about these remarks, a spokesperson for his campaign said it was "unequivocally" not his position today. [33]
In 2023, Moreno said that reparations should be paid to the descendants of white Civil War soldiers who helped to free slaves. [39]
In January 2024, it was revealed that Moreno had settled over a dozen wage theft lawsuits in the months before launching his campaign. Those settlements came after a jury ordered Moreno to pay over $400,000 to two former employees at his Massachusetts dealership for failing to pay overtime in accordance with state labor laws. As he faced those lawsuits, Moreno admitted in a deposition to shredding documents containing potentially relevant information to the case despite being instructed to preserve records — drawing a rebuke from a state judge. [40]
Moreno and his wife, Bridget, live Westlake, Ohio as of 2024 [update]. The couple have four adult children. [41] His daughter Emily is married to congressman Max Miller. [42]
His brother, Luis Alberto Moreno, is a former Colombian Ambassador to the United States. [2]