GOP challenger calls on Ohio Dem Sherrod Brown to 'fess up' with what he knew about Biden's condition

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GOP challenger calls on Ohio Dem Sherrod Brown to 'fess up' with what he knew about Biden's condition

GOP Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno says Sen. Sherrod Brown knew of President Biden's mental condition.

Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno on Thursday demanded that his opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, "fess up" about the Democratic Party's effort to "cover up" President Biden's mental condition.

Moreno, a Republican businessman, held a press conference outside Brown's office in Washington, D.C., and told reporters that Democrats like Brown "hid from the American public the fact that we have a commander-in-chief who is incapacitated" and did so "for political purposes, so they could ram through their left-wing agenda." 

Biden, 81, has faced numerous calls to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election since his disastrous debate performance last month, where his halting speech and at times incoherent answers renewed concerns over his mental acuity. Republicans have since gone on the attack, accusing Democrats of downplaying the president's age and covering for his mental slips.

Brown has remained mostly silent on whether Biden should step aside, though CNN and Axios reported that the Ohio senator has privately said that he does not believe Biden can win in November.

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Bernie Moreno, Republican candidate for Senate, speaks at the Columbiana County Lincoln Day Dinner in Salem, Ohio, on Friday, March 15, 2024.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

On Wednesday, he told reporters that he has heard "concerns" about Biden from his constituents in Ohio. 

"I hear legitimate concerns from people in Ohio about the president. I listen to those, but my job is to continue to work for my state to fight on prescription drug prices and jobs," Brown said.

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Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio and chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2023. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"This guy's a coward," Moreno said of Brown. "This guy's now hiding from his lies, because he knows that the gig is up, that people have seen what you can't unsee. And it's a disgrace. It's a shame. And he is a superdelegate. [I] remind all of you he's a superdelegate. He refuses to take a position on where he stands with Biden. It's completely disgraceful." 

In the Democratic Party, a superdelegate is an unelected delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is free to support any candidate for the party's presidential nomination. Should Biden withdraw from the race, Brown and the other superdelegates will play a critical role in selecting the party's presidential nominee. 

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Senate candidate Bernie Moreno accused Sen. Sherrod Brown of covering up President Biden's mental condition by staying silent.  (Getty Images)

Moreno charged that Brown has been complicit in "the greatest cover-up in American history" by keeping quiet about Biden's fitness for office. 

"This is Watergate on steroids. They knew all along – especially Sherrod Brown, is friends with Joe Biden for decades. So it’s not like they have a casual acquaintance," he said. 

A spokesman for Brown's campaign accused Moreno of playing "political games" with his news conference outside of Brown's office.

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"While Sherrod is working for the people of Ohio, Bernie Moreno was once again playing political games that expose how he’s only out for himself," said Deputy Communications Director Matt Keyes. 

The Ohio Senate race is rated a "Toss Up" by nonpartisan political handicapper Cook Political Report, alongside only two other Senate races. With split-ticket voting on the decline, candidates for Senate are much more likely to be elected if the presidential nominee at the top of their ticket also carries their state.

Fox News' Kelly Phares and Tyler Olson, as well as Fox News Digital's Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.