**Did Vivek Ramaswamy’s abominable attack ad just doom his campaign for Ohio governor? Even **Republicans think he made a terrible decision.
Team MAGA reached a new low this week thanks to Vivek Ramaswamy. Remember that guy? He ran for president and lost, then was
kicked to the curbby Elon Musk shortly after launching DOGE. For his next act, Ramaswamy thoughthe’d be a shoo-infor Ohio governor. He immediately earned Trump’s endorsement, which cleared the field, and had amassive cash advantageover his Democratic opponent.
But you can’t fix stupid — or depraved. Ramaswamy is
now trailingDemocrat Amy Acton in the polls. The race leans Democratic,according to Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Ramaswamy’s latest stumble threatens to put the final nail in his campaign’s coffin.
The drama started Monday night. A political ad circulated
𝕏on social media, showing Acton’s mother bashing her daughter and describing someone who has “lied her entire life.” On the surface, it might look like a powerful ad — until you learn the dark history between Acton and her mother, Donna.
Acton
has saidshe was sexually abused by her stepfather, Donna’s husband, between the ages of 9 and 12. Court documents and local newspaper accountsback up her claims. The stepfather was charged with raping her in 1978. Acton and her brother were then removed from Donna’s home.
So you might think it’s a pretty dubious decision — or outright despicable — to dig into that story for a political attack ad, right? Top Republicans are calling it a bad idea. But as the backlash spreads, Ramaswamy is doubling down. His campaign plans to
spend $4 millionbroadcasting this ad.
“Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign told the
Washington Post. “We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother.”
The White House is pushing back on — wait for it — Republicans who are criticizing Ramaswamy over this ad.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH), who Ramaswamy is hoping to replace,
described the adas “deeply, deeply troubling” today, and called on the campaign to take it down. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) said that he “would not have run” the ad. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called Ramaswamy “a bad guy.” Even former GOP Rep. Jim Renacci, whom Trump once endorsed, came out swinging.
“Vivek Ramaswamy needs to pivot, and quickly,” tweeted Renacci, who ran against DeWine in 2022. “Stop defending the ad and start talking about his policies, his vision for Ohio, and why he believes he is the better candidate. If he chooses to double down, I don’t see anything good coming from it.”
President Donald Trump couldn’t disagree more. It took “a lot of courage” from Acton’s mother to appear in the ad, he wrote on social media today, describing the video as “so good.”
Vice President JD Vance also said that he’s “disgusted” by all the Republicans coming out against Ramaswamy. He blamed the mainstream media and Democrats for turning the ad into a scandal during a rally in Ohio last night. “Politics is a tough business,” he explained.
**Vance also delivered a message to fellow Republicans: **“Stop whining.”
** Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him** to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s military satellite system yesterday, the
** The Department of Justice announced an indictment** of State Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-VA) on five counts related to drug trafficking and money laundering today. Lucas, 82, is one of the most powerful Democrats in the state and led redistricting efforts in Virginia. “I grew up under Jim Crow,” Lucas said in a statement. “I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them. I spent my life fighting back, and I’m not stopping now.”
** The DOJ is also investigating Corey Lewandowski, **former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s top aide (
** Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted a globe **that Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower used during World War II, which is on display in the Pentagon, the
** The State Department has quizzed some foreign service officials** on who they voted for in the last three presidential elections, making it clear that they wouldn’t be eligible for promotions if they didn’t vote for Donald Trump, the Washington Sun reports.
** Calley Means, a top adviser to HHS Secretary **Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left the administration today after growing frustrated with the White House delaying some of Kennedy’s policy ideas, the
** Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) plans to move out of her home** in the nation’s capital after the raid by federal agents. “Obviously, I can’t continue to live there,” she told MS NOW. “We have to figure out where to move to, because our address has been public and with the death threats that I deal with.”
** Tech overlord Peter Thiel privately expressed** his opposition to Trump’s war with Iran. “I think we should not have done it,” Thiel said during a private event earlier this month. “There were a lot of mistakes that were made.” Reminder: This is the guy who propped up Trump and Vance’s political careers.
** The Pentagon has been building a new** tech agency to “help covertly disrupt and sabotage foreign technology programs,” Politico reports. The Defense Department is
** Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico** challenged “Low T” Ken Paxton to a debate borrowing a common insult used by Republicans to describe Talarico. TMZ should host the debate, Talarico said in an interview with the outlet.
** Alaskan news outlets are teaming up to cover the midterms,** giving each other a heads up on stories in the pipeline and allowing them to be republished. If you know anything about journalism, you know how ridiculously competitive journalists can be. Good for these folks for teaming up!
** A new AirBnB policy bans hosts from requiring guests** to wash the dishes, strip the bedding, take out the trash, or do other tasks that a cleaner might do. The change will apply to bookings starting on November 20 — and the landlords are fuming. “My kitchens are going to be stripped down to only bare essentials,” one host wrote on social media.
** People looking for new friends have discovered that,** if you simply ask for new friends on the internet, you’ll probably receive some. I often
** Wikipedia’s reputation has transformed from a quirky,** low-fi website that you couldn’t trust as a primary source in school, to the largest and arguably most important encyclopedia in the world. A new book titled “The Last Best Place on the Internet” chronicles the evolution of Wikipedia, and I’m personally pumped to get my hands on a copy. (Also, shoutout
** Just a reminder, because why not:** A golden retriever named Finley still holds the Guinness World Record for most tennis balls held in a dog’s mouth (six). He set this record back in 2020.
