Midterm attack ads turn personal and harsh in Ohio, Texas, Maine and elsewhere

Right · 1Coverage of the 2026 midterm campaign describes an unusually bitter closing stretch of attack advertising, with Fox News's Howard Kurtz saying candidates are "uncorking their dirtiest ads" just over a week before the election. 1 Mixed · 2The most discussed example is an ad by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor's race that features Donna Arthur, the long-estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton, calling her daughter a "liar". 1 2 Centre · 1Newsweek reports that Ramaswamy's team said it would spend $4 million airing the one-minute video statewide. It says Acton has publicly accused her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, of raping her as a child, and that her mother stayed with him until his death. 2

Mixed · 2Both outlets report criticism of the ad from Republicans, and Fox names Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine among them. Fox says President Trump defended it as fair game. Newsweek says the campaign's reply, that Acton is "a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth", drew nearly as much backlash, and that Acton's odds on prediction markets have risen about 10 percent since the ad appeared. 1 2 Right · 1In Texas's Senate race, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has run an AI-generated spot saying Democrat James Talarico "voted for an income tax". Fox says fact-checkers call that charge false, and that Talarico responded: "I don’t have to use AI, because the truth about Ken Paxton is bad enough." 1 Right · 1Fox also cites a House race in Texas, where Rep. Monica De La Cruz is emailing claims that her opponent Bobby Pulido is "unfit to serve in Congress" over a former bandmate's child rape charge. Pulido told Politico he never knew about the charges. 1

Centre · 1Newsweek says the cycle is the most expensive in history, citing AdImpact figures of $11.2 billion spent on ads and future reservations for 2025-2026, ahead of 2023-2024. Texas is the peak at about half a billion dollars, mostly pro-Republican, and AdImpact put its Senate spending at $446 million in June after an initial estimate of $124 million. 2 Centre · 1Newsweek's ranking covers other ads. A PAC-made, unbroadcast spot linked Israel aid to food prices and was shared by Cenk Uygur; the ADL called it a "case study in antisemitism", and Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed distanced himself from it. 2 Centre · 1In Maine, a Senate Leadership Fund radio song mocked Democrat Troy Jackson over a claim that his partner is his cousin. Sen. Susan Collins said she had "nothing to do with" it and asked for it to be pulled, and Jackson has accused her of profiting from the Iran war. 2

Centre · 1Newsweek also describes an Iowa ad from Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson's campaign using profanity against Democrat Josh Turek, and a Collins ad with sportscaster Bill Green that critics said belittled blue-collar workers. 2 Right · 1Fox's column adds wider turmoil, including the resignation of Montana Democratic Party chair Shannon O'Brien and the federal indictment of Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas. It asks how many voters will tune out or stay home, writing that "any one of a dozen states could tip the battle for Senate control". 1