Ramaswamy’s last-ditch attack shows signs of backfiring

Prominent MAHA figure quits administration

Democrat Amy Acton ‘s chances of flipping the Ohio governor’s race seem to have received a boost as backlash to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy ‘s controversial ad featuring her estranged mother keeps growing.

Ramaswamy has doubled down in defending the ad, which depicts Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur , calling her daughter a “liar” and saying she needs “help” as part of a message urging Ohioans to vote against her .

Acton’s campaign and Ramaswamy critics have noted that Acton hasn’t been in touch with her mother since she was 12 years old, after her stepfather was arrested and charged with raping Acton. Arthur remained married to the stepfather, and Acton was removed from her mother’s care.

Election forecaster Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted its rating of the race Thursday from “Toss-up” to “Leans Democratic.”

In its analysis explaining the move, the forecaster pointed to a comment from veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz , who called it a “Hail Mary” from Ramaswamy. Luntz said sometimes these types of moves work.

“However, this seems like an awfully risky and desperate move for Ramaswamy, who has already thrown the kitchen sink at Acton yet appears to be behind,” Sabato’s Crystal Ball said in its analysis.

The controversy has fueled widespread backlash from Democrats and divided Republicans, with some denouncing the ad and others calling on him to continue.

President Trump weighed in on the ad Thursday, urging Ramaswamy to “keep it up” in a post on Truth Social .

“Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone the Office of Governor,” he wrote.

That echoes similar comments on Wednesday from Vice President Vance , who said he was “disgusted” by Republicans who have broken with Ramaswamy to call for the ad to be scrapped.

Several notable Republicans have said the ad crossed the line.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called the spot “deeply troubling” and said the campaign should take it down . He noted, however, he wouldn’t withdraw his endorsement of Ramaswamy over it.

Sen. Jon Husted (R), who is in the midst of a competitive Senate race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), said he wouldn’t have run the ad .

Ramaswamy’s campaign hasn’t shown any signs of folding. The campaign confirmed to The Hill that it’s putting $4 million behind the ad to run online and on TV.

But there’s cause for concern for Ramaswamy beyond the criticism from his own party.

Fundraising has surged for Acton in the days since the ad was released, moving her into second place on the Democratic political donation site ActBlue’s list of top fundraisers.

The Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Acton leading Ramaswamy by about 3.5 points, generally inside the margin of error for most polls. She has opened up a bit more of a lead over the past month.

Still, Sabato’s Crystal Ball acknowledged the hurdles still facing Democrats in a state like Ohio, which has increasingly shifted rightward during the Trump era. Polling has underestimated Republicans in Ohio in the recent past, it noted, though that isn’t to say that’s happening again this year.

Robert Alexander , a professor of political science at Bowling Green State University, told The Hill that he believes this incident will likely make Acton more likeable and makes her story more compelling.

“I t’s probably going to draw some people to learn some things about her and what she’s been able to overcome that they hadn’t seen previously,” he said.

Former Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) said in a post on the social platform X that Ramaswamy needs to pivot quickly. He said voters don’t necessarily elect the most qualified candidate but the one they like, trust or sympathize with the most.

“You can have the strongest résumé, the best policies, and the most impressive background, but none of that guarantees victory if voters don’t like what they see or hear,” he said. “And when voters believe someone has been treated unfairly, sympathy can become a powerful political force.”

He suggested the consequences could extend beyond the governor race.

“And any Republican who fails to distance themselves from this ad risks taking on water as well.”

▪ The Hill : Controversy pits Trump, Vance against Ohio GOP establishment.

▪ The Hill : The Memo: Trump pours fuel on midterm campaign fires.

Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to spend $150 million aimed at boosting domestic gas and diesel production amid high fuel costs. The law gives the president broad powers to increase the production of resources for national defense purposes.

The Supreme Court ruled that New Hampshire’s top election official can entirely stop voters from using their student IDs as a way to prove their identity when going to the polls to vote in the midterms. A lower judge had ruled officials had improperly gone further than a state law implementing restrictions, but the high court said the judge intervened too close to the election.

The Pentagon announced an initial deal with Lockheed Martin to produce at least 850 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets over the next decade. Lockheed will contribute at least $7 billion toward the program, according to the Pentagon, and the company said it aims to produce 156 aircraft each year under the deal.

CANNABIS CONSPIRACY : Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas , one of the top-ranking Democrats in the state, was charged and brought into custody Thursday for allegedly leading a wide-ranging criminal enterprise that distributed large amounts of marijuana and laundered the proceeds.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Lucas and six other defendants, including some of her family members, for their roles in the alleged racketeering conspiracy. The charges include marijuana distribution, money laundering, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking and wire fraud.

Lucas, who was first elected in 1991, serves as president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate and chairs the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, which handles the state budget. The DOJ is accusing Lucas of using her political position to insulate the alleged criminal enterprise “from criminal scrutiny and to influence legislation benefiting the enterprise.”

“The charges alleged in this indictment reveal the behavior of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche , who announced the indictment alongside FBI Director Kash Patel at a press conference Thursday.

Lucas surrendered to authorities and made a brief appearance in federal court, before she was released on her own recognizance.

The indictment follows an FBI search in May of Lucas’s local office and of a cannabis store she has a stake. At the time, she characterized the search as an effort to intimidate her.

“I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down,” Lucas said in a statement yesterday.

Though Lucas is not up for election this year, the DOJ typically avoids making any moves that could appear political so close to a midterm election. Blanche rejected the suggestion that politics factored into the indictment, telling reporters, “We don’t do political paybacks.”

▪ WVEC : What to know about those indicted.

▪ The Hill : Rep. Ilhan Omar says raid was trying to ‘freak her out.’

MEANS TO AN END : Calley Means , a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a leading proponent of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement within the federal government, resigned Thursday.

Means announced his departure in a post on X , saying he is leaving with “tremendous respect” for Kennedy and the president, adding MAHA had made more gains in the past two years than ever before.

But Means reportedly left the administration over frustration with delays in the MAHA food agenda. The movement’s base has grown more upset with the administration’s approach to its main goals, such as on vaccines and pesticides.

Means’s sister, fellow MAHA influencer and entrepreneur Casey Means , was Trump’s pick for surgeon general, but the nomination was pulled earlier this year amid opposition to her selection.

▪ The Hill : Most Americans confident in childhood vaccine safety, poll finds.

NO BACKING OFF : Trump administration officials and allies are ramping up their attacks on Politico even after the outlet issued a correction on a story about White House chief of staff Susie Wiles .

Politico had reported that Wiles played a direct role in setting up the hard-hitting interview that former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia had with Fox News host Sean Hannity shortly before Zacharia’s ouster from her role. A White House official clarified to the outlet that Wiles only offered “positive reinforcement” for the booking, and the story now includes a correction stating Wiles’s role was mischaracterized.

“Let me get this straight -@politico published a false story saying the exact opposite of what this now-released story says and their explanatory note says they ‘mischaracterized’ the events?” Scott Kupor , director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, wrote on social media Thursday.

“They constantly peddle false gossip and malicious lies from clueless anonymous sources to demean the Trump Administration,” former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on social media, calling Politico the “worst outlet in Washington.”

This marks the latest instance of Trump World pushing back on Politico, as the administration last month banned the outlet, along with CNN and MS NOW, from accessing the White House. A federal judge ordered their credentials restored .

▪ The Hill : CNN threatens legal action over Air Force One blocks.

▪ The Hill : Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in BBC defamation suit.

DON’T BET ON IT: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth barred all Pentagon staff from placing bets related to military action on prediction market platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi.

In a memo first obtained by CBS News, the Pentagon chief warned that U.S. enemies monitor movements in prediction markets and, “When an American Service member, intelligence professional, or other Department civilian engages in a financial transaction on a military outcome, they create a signal. ”

Hegseth said violations could result in administrative, disciplinary and “where appropriate, criminal action,” in accordance with federal law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The move comes amid a broader debate over who can regulate prediction markets and whether they constitute gambling. Insiders can read more here from The Hill’s Julia Shapero about the unlikely coalitions forming as the sides dig in for a lengthy legal battle.

▪ The Hill : Hegseth’s team broke WWII-era globe from Eisenhower’s office.

▪ The Hill : Marco Rubio , Hegseth point finger at Elon Musk in Starlink slowdown.

The president will travel to Fort Myers, Fla., where he will deliver remarks at 2 p.m. He will then go to Palm Beach for the evening.

PROMISES PROMISES : The president’s list of offerings if Republicans win the midterms is becoming longer and more niche as Election Day approaches.

The Hill’s Mallory Wilson and Julia Manchester report that the promises have become a staple of Trump’s campaign stops in the cycle’s final weeks. He’s said all American citizens will receive $5,000 if Republicans maintain their majorities and also dangled investments in specific areas.

“When I say something, I mean it!” Trump wrote on Truth Social about the dividend checks.

The efforts have drawn skeptics who question if the big promises will work or if they’re even legal.

“The problem that Trump faces right now is that no one believes him on ending the war. On lowering prices. On giving away money. None of it,” said a former White House official. “I’m not sure if it is hurting Republican candidates, but it certainly isn’t helping.”

More recently, Trump told a Kansas audience he would make the sale of E15, fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol, available year-round instead of just during the summer months — only if Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) wins. He said more “goodies” would also be coming to Kansas.

He also promised a $100 million investment in a pharmaceutical company in Kentucky and to consider Ohio “very strongly” for the Space Force Academy, if Husted wins.

The promises have raised legal and ethical questions, especially the $5,000 checks. But experts said it doesn’t rise to the level of illegal bribery.

“It doesn’t really amount to the level of bribe because he’s not offering anything to any one person,” said Richard Briffault , a professor at Columbia Law School. “I think it’s the sheer implausibility of it that takes it out of any kind of legal or ethical setting and basically makes it into empty campaign rhetoric.”

▪ The Hill : Vance announces domestic fertilizer investment in Nebraska.

REIGNITED : Iran claimed Thursday that its navy struck seven oil tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, potentially sending tensions back up at a time when energy costs are already heightened amid the conflict.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it hit four tankers that were transferring oil, while three ships hit naval mines that rendered them immobile. If confirmed, the attacks would be the largest single-day incident involving vessels in the strait since the war began in February.

The IRGC warned the U.S. military against continued efforts to move oil tankers through the strait and that it would issue a response directed at U.S. bases in the region.

The claims come as a New York Times report indicated the U.S. and Israel are drawing up plans to potentially resume strikes against Iran following the midterms.

Trump has predicted that Iran will agree to more favorable ceasefire terms after the midterms but has threatened to end the war “the hard way” if necessary.

The State Department ordered the departure this week of nonemergency staff and their families at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia as the country continues to take fire from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

▪ The Associated Press : Russian missiles pound Kyiv.

▪ The Hill : Costs, Iran war top voters’ priorities for next Congress.

Generational change in Congress is coming, but it won’t fix everything , Layla Zaidane writes in The Hill.

Four immigration enforcement measures we can all agree on — even under Trump , Nolan Rappaport writes in The Hill.

And finally … 👏👏👏 Congrats to this week’s Morning Report quiz winners ! They knocked it out of the park.

Here’s who went 4/4: Stan Wasser, Chuck Schoenenberger, Ned Sauthoff, Peter Sprofera, Rick Schmidtke, Sari Wisch, Bob Hickerson, Carmine Petracca, Daniel Beierman, Brendan Smith, Linda L. Field, Richard Baznik, Mark R. Williamson, Jay Rockey, Julie Barnes, Jenessa Wagner, Stanton Kirk, Lou Tisler, William Moore, Meg Whitehouse, William Chittam, Trey Adams, Steve Comer, Mark Roeddiger, Steve James, Savannah Petracca, Naomi Petracca and JA Ramos .

The newest national park, Chiricahua , is located in Arizona .

Yellowstone was the first national park, established in 1872.

Although Ulysses Grant was president when Yellowstone was established, Woodrow Wilson signed a bill to create the National Park Service in 1916.

California is home to the most national parks in the country, with nine. Alaska is in second with eight.

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