Bernie Moreno Bio
Bernardo “Bernie” Moreno (born February 14, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2025 as the senior United States senator from Ohio. A member of the Republican Party, Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and moved with his family to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was raised. He became a U.S. citizen at 18 and graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Moreno built a career owning and operating automobile dealerships in Ohio and later founded a blockchain technology company. He won the 2024 U.S. Senate election, defeating Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown, and is the first Hispanic American senator from Ohio.
Moreno was sworn in on January 3, 2025, as a junior U.S. senator in the 119th United States Congress. One week later, when JD Vance resigned from the Senate to prepare to take office as Vice President of the United States, Moreno became Ohio’s senior senator. He is one of the first two Colombian American U.S. senators, alongside Ruben Gallego of Arizona.
Early Life and Background
Bernie Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia, on February 14, 1967. His father, Bernardo Moreno Mejía, was a physician who held high-ranking positions in the Colombian government. When Moreno was five years old, the family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was raised. His father worked as a surgical assistant, and his mother worked as a real estate agent. In 2025, he was appointed to the board of trustees for the MetroHealth System in October 2019 and served until he resigned in February 2021 to focus on seeking public office.
Moreno became a U.S. citizen at age 18 and renounced his Colombian citizenship. He attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After it was publicized that his Cleveland Foundation biography incorrectly included a Master of Business Administration degree, his Senate campaign blamed the error on a staffer who made a mistake. His professional training in business laid the foundation for a long career in the automotive industry.
Path to US Politics
Moreno’s path to politics ran through the business world. In April 2021, he entered the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to replace the retiring incumbent Rob Portman. On February 3, 2022, Moreno dropped out of the race, reportedly after meeting with Donald Trump. The experience sharpened his interest in running for federal office and shaped his approach to campaigning.
On April 10, 2023, Moreno filed paperwork to run for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat in the 2024 election. Donald Trump endorsed Moreno in December 2023, giving him a decisive advantage in the Republican primary. Moreno won the Republican primary on March 19, 2024, defeating state Senator Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. He went on to defeat three-term incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in the general election, with the crypto industry spending more than $40 million in support of his campaign.
Bernie Moreno Career
Early Career (1993-2004)
After college, Bernie Moreno worked at General Motors. At 26, he moved to Massachusetts to become the general manager at The Herb Chambers Companies, a car dealership for the General Motors division Saturn. The role gave him hands-on experience running a large automotive retail operation and helped him develop the management skills that would later define his business career.
By the early 2000s, Moreno had built a strong reputation in the car dealership industry. He prepared to take the next step by relocating to Ohio in 2005 and buying a Mercedes-Benz dealership in North Olmsted near Cleveland. The purchase marked the beginning of his rise as one of the most prominent auto dealers in the state.
Breakthrough (2005-2018)
Moreno was the president of the Collection Auto Group, a car dealership company. By 2016, he owned more than a dozen dealerships, mostly located in Ohio. In 2018, he established the Sales Center for Excellence at Cleveland State University, contributing to business education in the region.
In 2019, Moreno was elected to the Cleveland Business Hall of Fame, a recognition that highlighted his impact on the local economy. That same year, he began selling a number of his dealerships to focus on his new blockchain-based technology company, Ownum, marking a notable shift from traditional automotive retail to emerging technology.
Republican Era (2021-Present)
Moreno was sworn in on January 3, 2025, as a junior U.S. senator in the 119th United States Congress. When JD Vance resigned from the Senate on January 10, 2025, to prepare to take office as Vice President of the United States, Moreno became Ohio’s senior U.S. senator. In April 2025, Moreno negotiated a year-long delay in the closure of the Chillicothe Paper Mill with H.I.G. Capital, demonstrating his involvement in economic issues affecting Ohio workers.
Since entering the Senate, Moreno has taken clear positions on major national issues. He opposes abortion, supports a federal 15-week ban, and has expressed support for building a wall on the United States Southern Border, deploying military personnel on the border, and designating Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. He has also called for an end to birthright citizenship and introduced the Exclusive Citizenship Act in 2025, which would require U.S. citizens with dual citizenship to renounce their other citizenship.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most defining moments of Bernie Moreno’s political career came on March 19, 2024, when he won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate with the endorsement of Donald Trump. Later that year, he defeated three-term incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, a major upset in Ohio politics. He became the first Hispanic American senator from Ohio and one of the first two Colombian American U.S. senators in American history.
Bernie Moreno Career Wins
Bernie Moreno’s career achievements span business, technology, and public service. He expanded from a single dealership to a network of more than a dozen Ohio car dealerships, was inducted into the Cleveland Business Hall of Fame in 2019, founded the blockchain company Ownum, and was elected to the United States Senate in 2024.
Election Highlights
Moreno’s most significant political victory came in the 2024 U.S. Senate election in Ohio, when he defeated three-term Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. Earlier that year, he won the Republican primary on March 19, 2024, defeating Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose after securing Donald Trump’s endorsement in December 2023. The general election was backed by more than $40 million in spending from the crypto industry.
Other Wins and Achievements
In 2019, Moreno was elected to the Cleveland Business Hall of Fame in Cleveland Magazine in recognition of his business leadership. He established the Sales Center for Excellence at Cleveland State University in 2018 and was appointed to the board of trustees for the MetroHealth System in October 2019, serving until February 2021.
Bernie Moreno Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Bernie Moreno was born into a prominent Colombian family. His father, Bernardo Moreno Mejía, was a physician who held high-ranking positions in the Colombian government. His brother, Luis Alberto Moreno, is a former Colombian Ambassador to the United States and a member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees. The family’s strong background in medicine, public service, and international affairs shaped Moreno’s later entry into business and politics.
Personal Life
Moreno and his wife, Bridget, live in Westlake, Ohio, and have four adult children. His daughter Emily is married to Congressman Max Miller, though Miller filed for divorce in August 2024. Before his Senate campaign, Moreno expressed support for the LGBT community, his business sponsored the hosting of the 2014 Gay Games by Cleveland and Akron, and in a 2016 interview, Moreno noted that his eldest son is gay.