Cincinnati

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton toured the Youngstown Business Incubator and rallied in Liberty, stressing ties to Mahoning and Trumbull counties ahead of Election Day against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton has repeatedly addressed a Ramaswamy-backed ad featuring her estranged mother, calling her a liar and alleging mental health issues; Gov. Mike DeWine called it exploitative. Both candidates are closing with pitches on Ohio's affordability crisis, with Ramaswamy touting his business background and property-tax executive orders, and Acton emphasizing public-service experience, a working families tax cut, and school funding.

Ramaswamy has self-funded and outspent Acton nearly $80 million to $34 million overall, though Acton has outraised him recently; both have shattered Ohio's gubernatorial fundraising record, and neither has held elected office before. Democrats are banking on a late push, including a Cleveland rally with Barack Obama and expanded early voting, as prediction markets show Acton favored heading into Election Day.

The Justice Department announced indictments against 18 people in North Carolina for allegedly voting illegally in the 2024 election, bringing the state's total to 30 cases tied to that election cycle. Federal grand juries in Charlotte and Greensboro returned charges spanning all three of the state's federal districts, with defendants including lawful permanent residents from countries such as Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, France, Cuba, and Argentina accused of falsely claiming citizenship to register or vote. One defendant allegedly cast ballots dating back to 2000. The indictments arrive as the Trump administration intensifies voter fraud investigations ahead of the midterms, with charges carrying penalties up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

A federal judge in Cleveland sentenced Samuel Saxon, 47, former assistant field office director of ICE's Cincinnati sub-office, to 21 months in prison for lying to a federal agent about attacking his girlfriend. Saxon, who joined ICE in 2005, pleaded guilty in April. Prosecutors detailed years of alleged abuse, including strangulation, broken bones and death threats, and said Cincinnati police responded to his home roughly two dozen times without Saxon reporting it to ICE as required. He was arrested in December 2025 after a neighbor reported him choking the woman, then denied seeing her in person. Related domestic violence charges remain pending in state court.

In Clearcreek Township, Ohio, artist Stan Herd carved a 1-acre earthwork into a Warren County hayfield depicting a farmer, a cow and a sign reading "Not for Sale to Data Centers." Commissioned by Data Center Payoffs, a group tracking industry political donations, the piece was unveiled at an Oct. 24 rally attended by Rep. Greg Landsman and built with help from neighbors across party lines.

Ohio has 257 data centers in development, the fifth-most nationally, with an estimated $40 billion in planned investment by 2030. Rural land use, water and energy demands have fueled backlash, and voters in 18 municipalities, including Trenton and Wilmington, will decide related zoning ballot measures in November.

President Donald Trump made his third October campaign stop in Ohio, rallying supporters in Chillicothe ahead of the November 3 midterms. Joined by Sen. Bernie Moreno, Trump backed Sen. Jon Husted, who faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown in a tight special election for the seat JD Vance vacated, and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who faces Democrat Amy Acton. Trump criticized Democratic economic policy and touted Ohio data-center growth while urging turnout.

Democrats countered with their own events, including a Cincinnati rally featuring Acton and Brown, following a Cleveland appearance where former President Barack Obama campaigned alongside them. Early voting is already underway statewide.

Ohio's Nov. 3 ballot features a high-profile governor's race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, Ohio's former pandemic-era health director, in a contest that could end two decades of GOP control. Republican Sen. Jon Husted faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown in a toss-up race with national implications for Senate control. Voters will also decide Issue 3, which would enshrine Ohio's photo ID voting requirement in the state constitution, plus races for attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and state supreme court seats.

Locally, Columbus voters weigh two competing city charter amendments (Issues 8 and 9) that would reshape how City Council members are elected, while Franklin County-area communities decide school levies, bond issues and charter changes.

Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio gubernatorial campaign continued a statewide bus tour even as a $4 million ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton drew bipartisan condemnation. The ad's subject, Donna Arthur, has not seen Acton since 1978; Acton has said her mother lost custody after her stepfather was indicted for raping her as a child. Every living Ohio governor, Democrat and Republican, has criticized the ad, and Gov. Mike DeWine urged Ramaswamy to pull it, while President Trump and JD Vance have defended it.

At a bus tour stop in suburban Cincinnati, Republican attendees largely shrugged off the controversy, citing concerns about border security and socialism instead. Running mate Rob McColley countered that Acton's campaign had run misleading ads against Ramaswamy. A lone protester, Ramaswamy's former junior high teacher, demonstrated outside calling for a retraction and apology.