Midterms 2026: in Ohio, a resounding defeat for billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy and the Republicans

Americans are accustomed to vitriolic election campaigns. But the one for a gubernatorial seat in Ohio broke records for negativity. A few days before the election, Vivek Ramaswamy, a billionaire Republican entrepreneur, close to the White House and seen as one of the rising stars of the new Trumpist generation, launched an ad where we see the mother of Amy Acton, his Democratic opponent, calling her daughter a “liar” and encouraging voters not to vote for her. The spot does not mention that Amy Acton was raped between the ages of 9 and 12 by her stepfather, who was eventually charged but fled before his trial. Her mother defended her husband and lost custody of her children, whom she has never seen since 1978. Was it this particularly sordid publicity that tipped the scales? In any case, the spot did not work out to Vivek Ramaswamy's advantage since he suffered a severe defeat. Amy Acton, a doctor…