Ramaswamy Trims Attack Ad

Vivek Ramaswamy isn't pulling his widely denounced attack ad off the air, but he's shortening it. The Republican's Ohio gubernatorial campaign is swapping the original 60-second spot for a 30-second version that still features Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, NBC News reports. Arthur, who called Acton a "liar" in the original, reportedly remains in the new version. Acton has said her birth mother did not protect her from sexual abuse as a child by Arthur's husband.

The original ad drew bipartisan criticism, including from Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and GOP Senate candidate Jon Husted. But the heads of the GOP, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, supported Ramaswamy's decision to run it. Since the uproar began, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball have changed their assessments of the governor's race from being a toss-up to leaning Democratic, per the Hill.

• The New York Times looks into how "the most ruthless ad of the midterms" has divided Republicans here.