Ohio GOP primary voters have demonstrated broad support for Donald Trump, which may have influenced the outcome of the state's Republican primary for the US Senate. According to exit poll results, approximately 7 in 10 GOP primary voters considered it important for the next senator in Ohio to support the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. This group overwhelmingly favored businessman Bernie Moreno, the candidate endorsed by Trump, with about 60% of their votes going to Moreno.
In contrast, voters who did not prioritize loyalty to Trump largely supported state Sen. Matt Dolan, the only candidate in the race who had not explicitly endorsed Trump. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose trailed behind his rivals among both groups of voters.
The primary marked the first direct test of Trump's endorsement power in a contested Senate race this year. Moreno's victory sets the stage for a showdown with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, a three-term incumbent in a state that Trump carried twice.
Exit polls also revealed that Ohio GOP primary voters overwhelmingly approved of Trump's job performance during his presidency. A significant majority believed that a potential second term for Trump would be better than his first. Additionally, a majority indicated they would still consider Trump fit for office even if he were convicted of a crime.
The results of the Ohio Senate primary underscore the extent to which the GOP electorate has aligned itself with Trump's influence. The rift between Trump loyalists and those who resist his election falsehoods was evident in the voting patterns, with Moreno garnering support from election deniers and Dolan from those who accepted the legitimacy of the 2020 election results.
Exit polls, while not precise measurements, offer valuable insights into primary voters' demographics and political views. The preliminary data from the Ohio GOP primary shed light on the electorate's ideological leanings, with a significant portion viewing the Republican Party as either sufficiently conservative or too conservative.
Ohio GOP primary voters also expressed strong views on immigration and abortion, with a majority favoring deportation of undocumented immigrants and supporting a nationwide ban on most or all abortions. Economic concerns and dissatisfaction with the state of the nation were prevalent among voters, with a majority expressing unhappiness with the country's direction.
The exit poll, conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool, included 1,813 interviews with Republican primary voters. While the margin of error for the full sample was plus or minus 4.0 percentage points, the results provide a snapshot of the sentiments and preferences of Ohio's Republican primary electorate.
