Blockchain Executive Bernie Moreno Announces Senate Bid

Car dealer and blockchain executive Bernie Moreno announced a bid for the U.S. Senate on April 6. He hopes to fill the seat Senator Rob Portman is vacating. He joins a GOP primary race that already includes former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and former Ohio Republican Party leader Jane Timken, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

In his campaign video, Moreno railed against cancel culture and socialism while playing up his reputation as a businessman and outsider. He said, “I started as an intern at General Motors and made my way to the top of the automotive industry.”

He also said, “I’ve started new companies that create innovative technologies that improve people’s lives and shared my successes with the community. I’m running to represent the people of Ohio in the United States Senate to protect to the American dream for the next generation.”

Read on for more information about Moreno’s career, net worth, and political views.

Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia, and he moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 5 years old. He became a U.S. citizen when he was 18, according to the Enquirer. 

“I came from a country surrounded by radicals like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara who promised to give everyone all they needed and solve all their problems, just like Bernie Sanders and AOC are doing today,” he said in his video. “That’s the exact opposite of American democracy and the American dream.”

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Moreno worked at the general manager of a Saturn store in Boston before purchasing a Mercedes-Benz dealership in suburban Cleveland and becoming the largest volume luxury car dealer in the Midwest, the newspaper reports. These days, Moreno is the chairman of a blockchain technology company called Ownum.

Moreno’s net worth isn't readily available, but one clue about his fortune comes from his real estate. In May 2020, Moreno listed a mansion in Westlake, Ohio, for $2.7 million, according to Cleveland Scene. However, Zillow reported that the real estate listing for that address was removed in November, which suggests that Moreno might have kept the property.

In any event, Moreno is using some of his wealth to help fund his campaign. Moreno said in his campaign video that he won’t accept money from corporate political action committees. “There’s a lot of times when big corporations expect a quid pro quo,” Moreno told the Enquirer on April 6. “You donate money and then that candidate is beholden to you. I’m not going to be beholden to anybody.”

In his campaign video, Moreno hailed Donald Trump as “an outsider and businessman” who “[shook] things up in Washington,” and he vowed to protect Trump’s “victories.” 

In his interview with the Enquirer, Moreno said he’d be “honored” to have Trump’s endorsement. “He’s the leader of the Republican party,” he said of Trump. “He’s very popular in the Republican party. He’s very popular in Ohio.”