Columbus, OH – It’s been another terrible two weeks for Ohio Senate candidate and car salesman Bernie Moreno. Moreno once again “opposed” Sherrod Brown’s bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act and Ohio workers are raising concerns about Moreno’s “pattern of lying,” leaving them “unable to trust” him – all while Moreno refuses to answer the growing list of questions about the “string of inconsistencies that have dogged his campaign.”

NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK:

• Bernie Moreno said he “would have opposed” the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan bill with “widespread support from law enforcement groups” that would curb the flow of fentanyl across the southern border by cracking down on the chemical suppliers in China and drug traffickers in Mexico. While Sherrod Brown led the fight to crack down on fentanyl and worked with Republicans to get it done, Moreno opposed it every step of the way.

• Workers in the Mahoning Valley, Toledo, and Lima are “unable to trust Moreno” after he lied about selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision and he contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas.”

• Bernie Moreno’s campaign touted his “well-documented” support for a national abortion ban which would overturn the will of Ohioans who voted overwhelmingly to protect reproductive rights last year.

“NO” TO CRACKING DOWN ON FENTANYL: Bernie Moreno “would have opposed” the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan bill to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. While Sherrod Brown worked with Republicans to get it done, Moreno has “reject[ed]” bipartisan solutions to solve the fentanyl crisis yet again: Moreno called the bipartisan border security bill, which included FEND Off Fentanyl legislation, “357 pages of complete garbage” and “a total and complete disgrace.” More of what they’re saying:

• Politico: “And Ohio Democrats quickly tweaked Moreno’s campaign for saying he’d oppose the package Tuesday, after he said he only supported the Israel component. He also was no fan of the first border package in February, which contained the FEND Off Act.”

• Ohio Capital Journal: “…Moreno vehemently opposed an earlier Senate bill pairing Ukraine funding with several conservative immigration policy changes…Moreno insisted, “I did read all 357 pages…It’s grotesque, it’s disgusting, and I would do everything in my power to make certain that something like that bill never got passed,” Moreno said. Brown’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act was included on page 225.”

BERNIE “BAD FOR WORKERS” MORENO: Workers across Ohio in the Mahoning Valley, Toledo, and Lima are saying they “can’t trust [Moreno]” after reporting revealed he sold Chinese-made cars and contributed to their jobs being shipped overseas. Read what they’re saying:

• Jeff Adams, UAW Local 1219 President: “Bernie Moreno’s proved he does not have our backs, especially as an autoworker, selling vehicles that were made in China.”

• Tony Totty, UAW Local 14 President: “Moreno put himself first and sold Chinese-made cars while Ohio industry jobs were shipped overseas.”

• Mary Ola Stemple, UAW Local 1112: “Moreno’s business decisions hurt Mahoning Valley workers and families, and he has proved he will not fight for us.”

• Jim Devlin, UAW Local 1112 Vice President: “I know that Ohioans need a Senator who will fight to keep our jobs here – not one who made his fortune selling cars manufactured in China, because decisions like that led to Lordstown closing and Ohio jobs being shipped overseas.”

• Jose Arroyo, VP of Mahoning/Trumbull County AFL-CIO, USW member: “[Moreno] lied about selling foreign cars, well Chinese cars…you don’t go and lie to the American people, not lie to Ohioans or lie to people in the valley about your business records.”

WHAT OHIOANS ARE SAYING: Ohioans continue to notice they “can’t trust Bernie Moreno” and that he’s “just looking out for himself.” Read what they’re saying in The Delaware Gazette: “Bernie Moreno has shown us time and time again that he would put himself first…Whether it’s destroying evidence to avoid paying his employees overtime, or lying about how he started his first dealership by falsely claiming that he did it on his own and didn’t take handouts. We can’t trust Bernie Moreno.”

WE GET IT, YOU WANT TO BAN ABORTION: Bernie Moreno’s campaign touted his “well-documented” support for a national abortion ban which would overturn the will of Ohioans. Moreno has repeatedly supported a national abortion ban, said he is “100% pro-life with no exceptions” and “absolute pro-life, no exceptions,” and voted to ban abortion without exceptions for rape or incest in Ohio last year by voting against Issue 1.

  WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING / WATCHING THIS WEEK:

• WLIO: Lima UAW and AFL-CIO members hold a news conference speaking out against Bernie Moreno

• Lima News: Lima autoworkers call out Moreno

• MSNBC: “Moreno…has repeatedly claimed he refused to sell a Chinese-made General Motors SUV, the Envision, as part of his principled defense of the U.S. auto industry. But that wasn’t exactly true — and Moreno is facing backlash for it. Labor leaders in Ohio…are teeing off on Moreno for lying about selling the model.”

• Axios Columbus: “A spokesperson said Moreno’s ‘stance is well-documented’ and linked to Moreno’s earlier support for the national abortion ban.”

• WVXU: “… Former luxury car dealer Bernie Moreno, an incredibly wealthy man with no experience in office, a rather sketchy resume…who has more and more Republicans turning up their noses with each passing day.”

TWEET OF THE WEEK:

CODA: “Moreno insisted, ‘I did read all 357 pages [of the bipartisan border bill],’ and it ‘highlights every single thing that’s wrong with Washington D.C. … It’s grotesque, it’s disgusting’… Brown’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act was included on page 225.”