OHIO, USA — The non-stop political ads that have invaded Ohioans TV's, social media feeds and beyond will soon be coming to an end as election day is just about a week away.
Incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, who has been in office since 2007, is in a tight race with Republican challenger and former car salesman Bernie Moreno.
The race is one of the most expensive in U.S. history, with both sides combining for $400 million in ad spending.
Moreno came to Columbus on Monday to talk about his agenda and attack his opponent saying, “It’s time for him to go.”
One of the biggest issues that divides both candidates is their stance on abortion.
Brown’s campaign says, “Both before and after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Sherrod fought to restore abortion protections for women across the country. He’s also fighting for women’s access to affordable birth control and family planning services and is standing against attacks on organizations like Planned Parenthood and fertility treatments like IVF. In 2023, Sherrod supported and campaigned for the Ohio ballot initiative that protected abortion in the state’s constitution.”
Moreno on Monday continued to advocate for a 15-week federal abortion ban and said he still supports that policy on a personal level, but says there is no federal vote on the issue.
“We should aspirational as a nation think about some sort of 15-week standard. After 15 weeks there are some common sense restrictions. As you know most abortions happen before 15 weeks anyway," he said.
10TV spoke to Brown about the issue of abortion during "Face The State" on Sept. 1. Brown suggested Moreno and the Republican party are still looking to tweak abortion language.
“They’re still playing games with abortion, trying to find out what do I say that gets me past this. But the fact is, I don’t think people trust them on this issue," Brown said.
Moreno said abortion should be regulated by states and called for better access to contraception for women, health care and lowering the cost of adoption services.
Moreno also faced backlash when he was heard on a cell phone video on Sept. 20 criticizing women whose votes are driven by concerns about government involvement in abortion decisions.