Trump rallies in Chillicothe as Ramaswamy ad backlash and a tight poll shadow Ohio governor race
An Echelon Insights survey for NetChoice has Vivek Ramaswamy at 47% and Amy Acton at 45%. Gov. Mike DeWine called Ramaswamy's ad featuring Acton's mother "deeply, deeply troubling."
President Trump was scheduled to rally Wednesday in Chillicothe, his third Ohio stop of the midterm campaign, in support of Sen. Jon Husted against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, Al Jazeera reported. The Columbus Dispatch said Trump won Ross County by 39 points in 2024 and carried Ohio by 11, but that Republicans face headwinds from high gas prices, property tax bills, opposition to data centers and what it called the "unpopular Iran War."
The visit comes as Republican governor nominee Vivek Ramaswamy faces criticism over an ad featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democrat Amy Acton, who accuses her daughter of lying about her upbringing, the Dispatch reported. Acton has described a childhood of neglect and abuse. Gov. Mike DeWine and former Gov. John Kasich, both Republicans, urged Ramaswamy to pull the ad, and DeWine called it "deeply, deeply troubling," according to the Dispatch. Ramaswamy spent more than $4 million to keep the ad on air through Election Day, and Trump wrote on Truth Social, "The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it's so good!" the Dispatch reported. The paper said the Center for Politics moved the race from toss up to Leans Democrat amid the backlash.
A survey by Echelon Insights for the tech industry group NetChoice found Ramaswamy at 47%, Acton at 45% and Libertarian Don Kissick at 4% among 508 likely Ohio voters interviewed Oct. 16 to 23, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.2 points, ABC 6 reported. The same poll found 70% support for State Issue 3, which would require photo ID to vote, and 57% naming inflation and cost of living as a top concern, according to ABC 6.
What is established
- Echelon Insights for NetChoice, Oct. 16 to 23: Ramaswamy 47%, Acton 45%, Kissick 4% among 508 likely voters.
- The Center for Politics moved the governor's race to Leans Democrat, per the Columbus Dispatch.
- Ramaswamy spent more than $4 million to air the ad featuring Acton's mother through Election Day.
- Chillicothe is Trump's third Ohio rally this month, per Al Jazeera.
- Al Jazeera, citing Axios, said more than $400 million had been spent or reserved in the Ohio Senate race as of Oct. 8.
What each side says
Called Ramaswamy's ad "deeply, deeply troubling" and urged him to pull it.
"The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it's so good!"
"There's got to be something inside you where you just say no office is worth stooping that low."
How it was covered
Left 1 report
Al Jazeera framed Trump's Ohio trip as part of a final week push in states where Republicans are worried, citing record spending in the Senate race.
Center 2 reports
The Columbus Dispatch led with the Ramaswamy ad backlash and the economic strain in Chillicothe; ABC 6 called the Echelon result a statistical dead heat.