Week in Politics: Ramaswamy's Ohio ad; Trump greenlights DOJ to sue over Alaska Senate

Two developments shaped the closing stretch of the midterm campaign, according to NPR senior political contributor Ron Elving. In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy is standing by a television spot aimed at Democratic opponent Amy Acton, in which her estranged mother calls her a liar and urges voters to reject her. The spot omitted painful background: legal records from nearly 50 years ago show Acton, then 12, and her younger brother were taken from their mother's home after their stepfather was arrested on a charge of sexual conduct with a minor. He left the state with the mother and died without standing trial. Acton says he raped her, and that the abuse started when she was 9. Ohio's Republican governor has condemned the spot, yet Vice President JD Vance dismissed critics as whiners and President Trump urged Ramaswamy to keep it running. Elving says it could hurt Senator Jon Husted, who faces Sherrod Brown, and could depress turnout.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NPR’s reporting. Read the full story at NPR →