CLEVELAND — Bernie Moreno's campaign for the U.S. Senate is off to a hot start.
On Thursday, his campaign announced that it has raised over $1 million in its first 30 days.
"We are in this to win this," Moreno said in a statement. "There is tremendous enthusiasm for a candidate who comes from outside of the rigged political system and will fight to protect American values. I won't touch a cent of corporate PAC money, because woke companies are driving this country to the Left. This is all from patriotic individuals who want to take this country back. We're going to fight and win for Ohio voters, because we deserve a conservative champion in the Senate."
Moreno's campaign believes its quick fundraising start is even more impressive because they say the money "is collected solely from individual donors--without accepting a cent of corporate PAC money. The $1 million represents a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, not a dollar of personal money from Bernie Moreno."
The campaign adds that Moreno's GOP rivals for the Senate seat, Josh Mandel and Jane Timken, each raised approximately $1 million in the first three months of their campaigns, following long political careers.
In launching his bid last month, the car dealership owner and businessman said that he is running "to stop socialism, end cancel culture, enact term limits, and protect the victories of Donald J. Trump."
Moreno talked with 3News' Mark Naymik shortly after announcing his campaign on April 6. Among the topics, Moreno said former President Donald Trump is "100% right on immigration." You can watch their full conversation in the player below:
In addition to his fundraising success, Moreno's campaign has also secured the help of one of the top members of former Trump administration.
Last month, the campaign announced that Kellyanne Conway will serve as a senior advisor. Conway became the first woman to manage a victorious presidential campaign in 2016 when she helped Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She parlayed that into a job as Senior Counselor to the President.
"Bernie’s not a politician. He is a conservative, a political outsider, and a successful businessman just like President Donald J. Trump," Conway said in a statement. "He has lived the American Dream and wishes to protect it for future generations. Ohioans need a fighter like Bernie Moreno to speak up and stand up for them in Washington."
The race for the Republican nomination in Ohio's 2022 Senate election has become a battle to see who can get closest to Trump. Moreno was a prominent donor to the former president and his daughter worked for Trump's reelection campaign, while former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken has the endorsements of former White House officials Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro and is reportedly the early favorite of Trump himself.
Other former Trump aides backing Moreno include former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell and former U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco Jamie McCourt. Jamestown Associates is also serving as the campaign's TV vendor after previously doing do for Trump.
Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Ryan is the lone Democrat who has officially entered the race to replace Rob Portman, who announced his retirement from the Senate earlier this year effective at the end of his term in 2022.