Bernie Moreno running for Senate as outsider, but public entities he served boosted his business

By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — In his bid for U.S. Senate in Ohio, Trump-endorsed Republican Bernie Moreno casts himself as a “political outsider.” But Moreno served on two government boards at entities that boosted his blockchain company while he served. Moreno’s campaign says he was recruited to the voluntary positions at InnovateOhio and MetroHealth because of his business background, and his businesses didn’t profit. A marketing professor says having a lieutenant governor and hospital president promote your products can carry financial benefits. Moreno faces Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan in next month’s Republican primary. The winner faces Democrat Sherrod Brown this fall.