Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to supporters during his primary election night watch party in Westlake, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

A new Marist poll saw Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) take a five-point advantage over Republican challenger Bernie Moreno, after several media outlets unearthed misleading and deceptive statements from Moreno.

According to Marist, Brown leads Moreno among all registered voters in the state of Ohio while also holding a 16-point advantage among independent voters.

With registered voters in Ohio:

Brown (D): 50%

Moreno (R): 45%

The poll comes after many media reports refuting statements Moreno has made both on and off the campaign trail since launching his Senate bid in April 2023. Moreno claimed that his family was in poverty when they immigrated to the United States from Colombia.

“We came here with absolutely nothing — we came here legally — but we came here, nine of us in a two-bedroom apartment,” Moreno claimed in 2023.

A New York Times article last month shined light on the fact that Moreno actually grew up in a very wealthy and connected family. Moreno’s step-grandfather also reportedly lent the family money to move into a four-bedroom home in Pompano Beach after they came to the United States.

In addition to embellishing his upbringing, Moreno also potentially lied about escaping socialism in Colombia, building his car dealership empire without handouts and bringing 5G to the city of Cleveland.

In March, Moreno secured the Republican nomination for Ohio’s U.S. Senate race after defeating Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan. Moreno also won the support of former President Donald Trump after spending thousands to cater events at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. Moreno gladly accepted the endorsement, despite calling Trump a “lunatic” and a “maniac” in 2016.