Republican Bernie Moreno unseated Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, The Associated Press projects, putting Republicans on the verge of taking control of the U.S. Senate.

Closer to Election Day, Brown, 71, consistently polled ahead of his Republican opponent. However, Moreno, 57, emerged as a serious contender in the weeks leading up to Nov. 5, narrowly edging out Brown in FiveThirtyEightthe final average of the polls on the last day of the campaign.

Brown’s Senate seat was one of the most at risk for Democrats in this election. Since Donald Trump constantly polled before Kamala HarrisBrown had to depend on ticket dealers for a chance at victory.

The race has turned into the most expensive Senate election this cycle. The two campaigns spent more than $441 million, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. Trump-endorsed Moreno led in funding with $233 million to Brown’s $208 million. The race may become one of the most expensive non-presidential elections in history.

The Ohio Debate Commission invited both candidates to face off in a debate, but neither campaign agreed.

Brown has a long career in politics. This was his fourth run for the US Senate. He was elected to his first term in 2006. In 2018, he defeated his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, by 6.8 points. Before reaching the Senate, he served six terms as the U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 13th district, winning his first term in 1992.

This was businessman Moreno’s second venture into politics.

In 2022, he entered the Ohio Republican Senate primary, but ended up losing JD Vancewho was chosen as Trump’s running mate. Moreno is best known for building a chain of luxury car dealerships in the Cleveland area. In 2016, he moved into the blockchain industry, co-founder ChampTitles in 2018.

At five, Moreno moved with his family from Colombia to the United States, becoming a citizen at 18 — an experience he highlighted when he spoke about immigration policy.