Ramaswamy and Trump gamble on an incendiary ad, as Ohio shows signs it might turn purple again

Vivek Ramaswamy is ending his run for Ohio governor the same way he launched himself onto the political scene four years ago — with a bet that voters will reward him for a never-back-down bombast that mirrors President Donald Trump’s instincts. But interviews with voters over three days following the release of the Republican nominee’s ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, offered a glimpse at the potential perils of imitating Trump — particularly in a year in which polls show voters turning away from the president. And if Ramaswamy’s approach alienates enough moderate and independent voters, a Republican Party looking for its way forward in the fast-approaching post-Trump era could find itself losing the ground it gained in a state that not long ago was a perpetual political battleground.