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Paxton and Ramaswamy may have better policies, but their character ought to be disqualifying.

Former President Barack Obama took aim at gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has doubled down on an advertising campaign featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Amy Acton.

The fallout from Vivek Ramaswamy’s brutal spot targeting his Democratic rival in the Ohio governor’s race showed that even in the Trump era, a political attack can be seen as going too far.

It gets very personal as backlash against Trump policies and a divided base have put a GOP stronghold within Democrats’ reach.

President Donald Trump stepped up his support for a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Ohio’s Democratic candidate for governor, Amy Acton, despite intensifying Republican opposition to the campaign spot.

President Trump engaged in a vigorous back-and-forth Friday with NBC reporter Monica Alba after tripling down on the Ohio governor’s race ad featuring Democratic nominee Amy Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. Reporters asked Trump about fellow Republicans denouncing the ad that was created by Vivek Ramaswamy, the GOP candidate for Ohio governor. “But...

The G.O.P. nominee in Ohio has given conservatives space to reckon with the ethical degradation of Trumpism.

"Who wouldn't use such an Ad?" President Trump wrote. "I would, it's called, 'hitting pay dirt.'"

Iowa GOP Senate candidate Ashley Hinson strongly condemned Ohio GOP governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for his ad featuring opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother.

The controversy over Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s mother is pitting President Trump and Vice President Vance against Ohio’s Republican establishment less than two weeks out from Election Day. A number of Ohio Republicans, including Gov. Mike DeWine and Sen. Jon Husted, have denounced the ad, which...

In today’s edition, Jonathan Allen digs into the fallout from a controversial ad that has roiled Ohio politics.

President Trump defends Ramaswamy ad as some in GOP condemn it; Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson holds town hall with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Trump said Acton’s mother’s comments about her should “preclude” Acton from being elected.

President Donald Trump defended an ad featuring the estranged mother of the Democrat running for Ohio governor, Amy Acton, calling it “very powerful” and dismissing the backlash against it as a news media plot.

In the ad, which first circulated on social media Monday night, Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother called her a liar.

Billionaire Jeff Yass gave almost $110 million to boost Republicans in the US midterm elections, making him the third-largest individual donor of this cycle and the top financial backer of embattled Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has denounced a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Dr. Amy Acton, taking sides with the Democratic candidate for governor and former member of his Cabinet over her Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy.

Vice President Vance 's call for fellow Republicans to "stop whining" about Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial attack ad in Ohio's race for governor showed a key part of his political mindset ahead of his expected run for president in 2028: Never back down. Why it matters: Channeling President Trump, Vance has shown contempt for what he sees as the old-guard GOP's reflex to cave under pressure from Democrats and the media. He thinks too many Republicans sacrifice allies to make controversies go away, and that giving critics a political scalp only encourages them to demand another, according to people familiar with his thinking. It's an approach with some risk — namely whether Vance, entering a critical period in his political career, has the political muscle to get away with Trump's no-apologies approach. Driving the news: Vance on Wednesday defended Ramaswamy amid bipartisan outrage over an ad featuring the estranged mother of Ramaswamy's Democratic opponent, Amy Acton . In the deeply personal ad, Acton's mother calls her daughter a liar, and says Ohioans shouldn't vote for her for governor. Not mentioned in the ad: Acton and her brother were removed from the mother's care as children after Acton accused her stepfather of sexual abuse. Her mother sided with the stepfather, leading to an estrangement that has lasted nearly 50 years. Appearing at a campaign stop for Ramaswamy in Ohio, Vance showed little concern about the criticism over the ad. Vance said he was "disgusted" by fellow Republicans criticizing it, telling them to "stop whining." Asked whether the ad was appropriate, Vance said it was "not really my concern," and that politics is tough. The other side: The backlash has included Republicans and Democrats who believe the ad crossed a moral line by exploiting Acton's traumatic childhood. "I would not have run that ad," Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who appeared alongside Vance and Ramaswamy at a campaign rally Wednesday, told the AP . Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley called Ramaswamy "a bad guy," adding: "It's a shame he continues to get away with it." Acton told CNN that she hopes her story of recovering from abuse inspires others, and that she "was not stunned" at "the antics of an out-of-touch billionaire," referring to Ramaswamy. Behind the scenes: Vance's refusal to denounce allies dates to his 2022 Senate campaign in Ohio. During a March 2022 debate, Vance refused to condemn then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for appearing at a rally organized by white nationalist Nick Fuentes. "She is my friend, and she did nothing wrong ... I'm absolutely not gonna throw her under the bus," Vance said then. In the final days of Ohio's 2024 Senate primary, Vance aggressively defended GOP candidate Bernie Moreno amid a controversy over an adult dating website account linked to Moreno's work email. As vice president, Vance has refused to disavow his friend Tucker Carlson amid accusations of antisemitism — even as Carlson's relationship with Trump was fracturing. After racist and antisemitic messages surfaced in a leaked Young Republicans group chat, Vance declared on X that he wouldn't join the "pearl clutching." During a December 2025 speech at a Turning Point USA event, Vance rejected political "purity tests," declaring: "I didn't bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to de-platform." What they're saying: "There is nothing JD has more personal disdain for than weak Republicans who reflexively kowtow every time the Dem-media demands a scalp," a source close to Vance told Axios. "It drives him crazy to see the cucked reaction from some establishment operatives and politicians in the GOP, who he views as nothing more than useful idiots for the left." The intrigue: Some Republicans see Vance as influenced by Trump and Vance's mentor, tech billionaire Peter Thiel, who has embraced a similar no-apologies mantra. "The president's refusal to kowtow to the left is one of the things JD admires most" about Trump, the Vance source said.

A new campaign ad for Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has sparked controversy and debate over what crosses the line in political advertising. The ad featured the estranged mother of his opponent, Democrat Amy Acton. Nancy Cordes has more details.

The campaign is in its final stretch and the attacks are getting increasingly personal. In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign is behind an ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, disputing Acton's account of her childhood. For analysis, Geoff Bennett spoke with Democratic strategist Faiz Shakir and Republican strategist Whit Ayres.

Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) on Wednesday waded into an advertising controversy engulfing fellow Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial campaign, putting himself at odds with his Ohio colleague. Ramaswamy, who is challenging Democrat Amy Acton for the governor’s seat, has come under attack from some critics for airing a campaign ad this week featuring Acton’s estranged mother […]

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) called a controversial political ad run by Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) “shameful,” saying she thinks it will hurt Republicans up and down the ballot in Ohio. “This ad is going to go down as the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season,” Mace told CNN’s Jake Tapper on...

Republicans privately say the ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother has already backfired

The attack ad features Amy Acton's mother, who lost custody of her children after Acton was sexually abused by her stepfather.

Ramaswamy’s campaign said it will spend $4 million to air the ad ahead of next month’s election.