Sen. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) claims that his predecessor, former Sen. Sherrod Brown, left him with “a mess” after leaving office.
“He never called me, never conceded, closed all of his offices, closed all of his constituent cases, and left a total mess for us to clean up,” Mr. Moreno said about Mr. Brown.
Mr. Moreno made these remarks during a visit to Tuscarawas County on Saturday, where he endorsed Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
He mentioned that this was his first public event in Ohio since taking office in January.
Mr. Moreno defeated Mr. Brown, a longtime senator, in the November election, which became one of the most expensive Senate races ever.
His comments come at a time when Mr. Brown’s political future remains uncertain.
Ohioans are set to vote for both a governor and a senator next year. While Mr. Brown hasn’t ruled out running for either position, he also hasn’t confirmed his plans.
On Monday, Mr. Brown announced the launch of the Dignity of Work Institute, an economic think tank aimed at studying the American economy and influencing federal policy changes.
In response to Mr. Moreno’s remarks, Mr. Brown said, “I’m not here to engage in political attacks, period.
If you talk to people around Ohio over the last 15 years, they’ll tell you they’ve never seen the level of constituent service and outreach that we provided.”
Mr. Moreno’s comments come as both Ohio senators, along with others across the country, are seeing an increase in communications from constituents.
Recently, Ohioans have expressed frustration over full voicemail boxes and delayed responses.
A spokesperson for Mr. Moreno’s office stated that the influx of calls is not linked to Mr. Brown closing his constituent cases.
Casework typically refers to constituent requests for help with federal agencies, but the definition can vary between congressional offices.
It can include helping communities and nonprofit organizations seek grants or assisting with concerns about federal legislation.
Carrie Hartman, a Democrat and president of the Toledo City Council, recently attended the National League of Cities conference in Washington.
She requested meetings with both Ohio senators and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) through the conference portal.
Ms. Hartman said she was notified about a meeting with Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio) only a day before it happened.
The meeting was a brief meet-and-greet, followed by a session with Mr. Moreno’s staff.
Mr. Moreno eventually joined the meeting, which included council members from other Ohio cities like Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Ms. Hartman said she barely had time to discuss Toledo’s concerns with Mr. Husted. His office did not respond to requests for comment.
Her main concern was securing federal funding that was awarded to Toledo under previous administrations.
The current Trump Administration has frozen many grants as part of an effort to cut wasteful spending.
Ms. Hartman praised Rep. Kaptur for being responsive and thorough. “It was so easy to get a meeting with her.
We sat down at an actual table, she gave us water, and we had an in-depth conversation about what she could do to help Toledo.”
At last year’s National League of Cities conference, Ms. Hartman met with Mr. Brown and his staff in a conference room.
Though she didn’t meet former Ohio senator and current Vice President JD Vance, his staff held a meeting with her.
Ms. Hartman said those meetings were productive, helping the city secure a grant for a Coast Guard training center in Toledo.
However, funding for the project is now uncertain. Mr. Brown also helped secure funding for other city projects.
Mr. Moreno currently has offices in Washington, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, according to his website. Mr. Husted has an office in Washington.
Unlike Mr. Moreno, Mr. Husted was appointed to his seat in January after Mr. Vance became vice president.
Both senators have phone numbers and contact forms listed on their websites.
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