OHIO, USA —
Primary elections set the ballots for the November election and certain Ohio races are expected to receive national attention.
Bernie Moreno is the GOP's candidate for the U.S. Senate. He won the primary election against Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose and will face incumbent Sherrod Brown, who has served in the Senate since 2007.
Derek Merrin, who currently represents Ohio's 42nd House District, won the GOP nomination for the U.S. House's 9th Congressional District House. He will face long-term incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur, who has served in the seat for 21 consecutive terms and is the longest-serving woman in Congress.
Sam Nelson, an associate professor at the University of Toledo, said the two races are about party control.
"This is definitely going to be one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country," Nelson said of Brown and Moreno. "It's really key to Republican plans to take control of the Senate, and to Democratic plans to try and retain control of the Senate."
Brown has been the only Democrat who has been winning state-wide races in Ohio recently, Nelson said. The state has been consistently voting Republican, meaning the GOP is prepared to give a lot of support to Moreno.
"I think the U.S. Senate race will be probably the most expensive race in Ohio political history," said Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. "We're already seeing advanced purchasing of TV advertising."
Normally, people don't nationally pay attention to a Congressional race in northwest Ohio, but Nelson said people will this year.
"There's going to be a lot of money spent in that race," he said. "It's going to be a national priority for both parties."
Democrats want control of the House, and Kaptur defeating Merrin is crucial to that goal.
"Especially for our frontline candidates, of which Marcy is one, we know we cannot flip control of the U.S House without protecting our frontline incumbents," said Matthew Keyes, communications director of the Ohio Democratic Party.
Keyes said the party is preparing to make sure candidates like Kaptur have the necessary funding moving into November.