Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, Jonathan Allen digs into the fallout from a controversial ad that has roiled Ohio politics.Plus, we explore two Senate races where Black voters are playing a critical role.
— Adam WollnerRamaswamy’s ad splits the GOP in Ohio’s closing stretchAnalysis by Jonathan AllenIf there’s one notion that Republican Vivek Ramaswamy reinforced with an ad featuring his opponent’s estranged mother this week, it’s that he is trailing in his bid to become Ohio’s governor.In the ad, Donna Arthur calls her daughter, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, a “liar.” Acton has previously talked about how, as a child, she was sexually abused by her mother’s husband.Her brother said in a video released by Acton’s campaign this week that their “birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died.” Acton has also said that she has not seen or spoken to her mother in nearly 50 years.Democrats roundly condemned Ramaswamy for turning this chapter of Acton’s life into a political attack.
Many Republicans also distanced themselves from the ad, including Ohio Gov.Mike DeWine, whom Ramaswamy is vying to succeed, and Sen.
John Husted, R-Ohio, who is also on the ballot next month.“The ad, on its face, is deeply, deeply troubling,” DeWine said today, calling on Ramaswamy to take it down.But Ramaswamy had some defenders in the GOP.
Vice President JD Vance, a former Ohio senator, admonished fellow Republicans to quit “whining” about the ad and focus on winning the election.And in a Truth Social post today, President Donald Trump criticized DeWine while praising Ramaswamy’s “very powerful” ad.
Most candidates try to unify their own party and divide the other party, especially in the final stretch of a campaign.Ramaswamy has managed to do...