Tripling Down

Desperate Ramaswamy Launches New Vile Attack at Opponent

The MAGA acolyte acknowledged he was essentially following Donald Trump’s combative political playbook.

MAGA candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has unleashed a vile new attack on his Democratic opponent, declaring her “crazy, unstable, and dishonest” as the backlash over his controversial ad with her estranged mother enters a second week.

Appearing on Fox & Friends on Monday, the Trump-backed Ohio gubernatorial candidate once again defended the ad against Amy Acton and acknowledged he was essentially following Donald Trump’s combative political playbook.

“You never start a fight, but when you find yourself in one, you finish it,” he said.

Ramaswamy’s tough talk about not backing down comes despite his campaign quietly altering the original 60-second version with a 30-second edit, dropping footage of Acton’s mother disputing her account of childhood homelessness.

As the Daily Beast followed him on the campaign trail over the weekend, he also admitted he has never met Acton’s mother, yet his campaign has refused to explain whether it bothered to vet her claims before turning them into a political weapon.

The Republican nonetheless turned to the MAGA-friendly Fox & Friends on Monday morning to once again seek to undermine his opponent’s credentials to lead Ohio.

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“We’re standing for truth, and so the irony is they’re lying about an ad that was about her lying,” he said.

“The fact of the matter is, I am running against somebody who is crazy, unstable, and dishonest. And even more importantly, they represent crazy and unstable and dishonest ideas. This is a fork in the road for the future of Ohio.”

Acton, 60, is a former state’s health director under Republican Governor Mike DeWine and helped oversee Ohio’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a blow to Ramaswamy, Ohio’s largest newspaper, The Plain Dealer, backed her on Sunday, reversing its previous policy against endorsements for top-of-the-ticket candidates.

Its editorial board said she had shown she was prepared for the job through her public service and years of listening to Ohioans, while calling Ramaswamy’s advertisement disqualifying.

“A candidate who uses childhood sexual abuse as a weapon against the person who endured it has crossed a line that Ohioans should defend, whatever their party,” the board wrote.

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The ongoing political fallout comes as the race enters its final stretch before Election Day on November 3.

Recent polling suggests Acton has the edge, with a Fox News survey putting her ahead of Ramaswamy 50 percent to 48 percent, while other polls have shown her leading by wider margins.

The contest remains closely watched as Republicans try to hold a state Donald Trump carried by 11 points in 2024.

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Trump is due to visit Ohio on Wednesday, giving Ramaswamy a high-profile opportunity to rally Republican voters as the ad controversy threatens to overshadow the closing days of his campaign.

The president will also try to boost votes for Senate candidate Jon Husted, who is locked in a tight race against Democrat and former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.

GOP insiders have told the Daily Beast that Husted faced an “enthusiasm gap,” but it picked up slightly after Trump came to Youngstown to rally for him earlier this month. The president has also taken to thirsting over the former college football player’s body, most notably his butt.

“But I looked at his a--, and then I looked at his legs,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina. “I said, ‘His a--, s---, it’s like, it’s like a pile of muscle. Then I looked at his legs, and I said, ‘Man, his feet are big.’ Then I looked at his shoulders, and I tapped him on the shoulder, and it actually hurt my hand. He’s like a piece of steel. I said, ‘This guy’s a monster!’”

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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