Ramaswamy’s ad splits the GOP in Ohio’s closing stretch: From the Politics Desk

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.

If 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…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health