Midterm election updates: Trump told Ramaswamy to thank God for ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother | CNN Politics

• Ohio ad controversy: President Donald Trump defended Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign ad featuring rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother, telling him to keep it up and “say thank you, God.” A source told CNN Trump thinks Republicans were “weak” for criticizing the ad and views backlash within the party as damaging.

• Trail blitz: Trump spoke about Ohio even as he rallied in deep-red Iowa, where he stumped for Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, who said the ad “needs to come down.” She didn’t mention it while on stage with Trump — nor did she mention the president.

• Election donations: Tycoon Elon Musk has donated at least $445 million this cycle, making him the largest disclosed donor in the midterm race. Billionaire megadonors on both sides of the aisle are fueling an advertising blitz in the final weeks before Election Day.

In another stop on his red-state rally tour, President Donald Trump campaigned in Iowa Thursday night, where he continued to defend Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, whose ad featured his opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother has drawn bipartisan criticism.

Trump said he told Ramaswamy to keep it up. Ignoring accusations of abuse against Acton’s stepfather, Trump said the contents of the ad were fair game. Trump was in Iowa to stump for Senate Republican candidate Ashley Hinson, who has called for the ad to be taken down.

Here’s the latest from the trail:

CNN’s Ariel Edwards-Levy, Elise Hammond, Ellis Kim, Tierney Sneed, David Wright, Manu Raju, Fredreka Schouten, Kevin Liptak and Kaanita Iyer contributed reporting.

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico posted another massive fundraising haul in the first two weeks of October, raising $17.6 million in the reporting period, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission.

It comes on the heels of Talarico’s record-breaking $64 million third quarter. And even after spending a blistering $22 million in those two weeks, Talarico’s campaign still had just under $10 million in cash on hand for the final sprint.

Ken Paxton, Talarico’s Republican opponent, raised about $2.8 million to his campaign account in the same stretch, spending just under $3 million and ending with about $4.8 million in cash on hand.

Prominent Democratic megadonors rallied to Talarico in the first weeks of October. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg contributed $2.5 million while LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman gave $5 million, according to the pre-election filing from Lone Star Rising PAC. And Texas attorney Thomas Henry, who had previously given more than $600,000 to a super PAC supporting Paxton, changed sides, giving $1 million to the pro-Talarico super PAC.

The two are locked in one of the most competitive races of the midterms, and its costliest – including the primary, the contest has seen more than $540 million in ad spending from both sides combined.

Fundraising by the candidates in South Carolina’s US Senate race is giving Republicans a blinking red warning sign, as the party grapples with an expanding competitive map.

Sen. Darline Graham, who replaced her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and won the GOP nomination, raised just $90,000 in the first two weeks of October, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Her Democratic opponent, Annie Andrews, raised nearly 45 times that amount, just over $4 million, in a big fundraising report giving her party optimism despite long odds in the predominantly conservative state.

Even after dramatically outspending Graham in those two weeks – $4.6 million to just $65,000 – Andrews entered the final weeks of the race with $1.7 million in cash on hand, while Graham reported only about $634,000.

Republican outside groups have already been directing millions to the contest in an effort to shore up their nominee. But Graham’s struggles on the trail and inability to galvanize Republicans have given Democrats an opening, one that Andrews’ robust fundraising is reinforcing.

President Donald Trump brought his midterm campaign blitz to Iowa on Thursday, aiming to boost Republican turnout in the deep-red area while also inserting a defense of a controversial ad three states over in Ohio.

Warning that his agenda would be destroyed if Democrats win the House and the Senate in November, Trump said the outcome could only be avoided if his supporters turn out in big numbers.

Trump warned that if “radical” Democrats win, their policies, including on immigration, would be “the start of something very bad, very dark, very horrible for our country,” later adding, “We need the votes.”

Midway through his speech, Trump spent several minutes recounting a controversy surrounding the ad Vivek Ramaswamy is airing in the Ohio governor’s race featuring his Democratic rival’s estranged mother.

Trump said he urged Ramaswamy to buck Republican calls to take the ad down. But in raising the issue during his speech in another state, Trump also seemed keen to elevate the controversy to a national crowd.

One of the candidates he was in town to stump for, Rep. Ashley Hinson, had earlier in the day said the ad “is ridiculous and needs to come down.”

She didn’t mention it during her time on stage alongside Trump. Nor did she mention Trump. Instead, she took the time to slam her rival and urged voters to “keep Iowa Iowa.”

Trump, introducing Hinson, said he frequently takes her calls.

The speech, held inside an airplane hanger at the municipal airport, was well attended. Unlike Trump’s recent events, he was not repeatedly interrupted by protesters.

As he usually does, the president veered off topic, something he acknowledged he was doing about 20 minutes into his speech.

He spent a considerable amount of time disparaging Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Trump also falsely claimed that he was cheated out of the 2020 election, which he said earned him the “right” to run again.

A GOP House candidate in Iowa on Thursday presented Donald Trump with a new award he said he came up with, giving the president a framed paper that said “Man of the Century” during a midterms campaign rally.

29-year-old Joe Mitchell, who is running to represent Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in Congress, said he was giving it to Trump “because this man has done more for humanity and for America than any other president ever.”

“They’ve never given you the Nobel Peace Prize by the way, which is a disgrace,” Mitchell said.

Last night in South Carolina, Trump again griped about not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mitchell’s brief speech at times appeared like an impersonation of Trump, as he used the president’s terminology, like “artificial press,” while speaking in a similar tone of voice.

Shaking Mitchell’s hand, Trump took the frame and passed it to a member of his staff off stage.

With just 12 days until the polls close on November 3, more than 20 million Americans have already voted, according to data from 47 states and the District of Columbia collected by CNN, the Associated Press and Catalist.

That’s about 35% of the early vote turnout from 2022, and about 18% of total 2022 turnout.

Connecticut (which has expanded access to pre-election voting since 2022) and Virginia are already above 90% of their pre-election total from 2022.

With more than 2.3 million ballots cast, California remains the state with the most ballots cast so far. But after the start of early voting in Texas this week, the Lone Star state has risen to the number two spot with 2.2 million ballots cast.

Florida (almost 1.7 million), Georgia (1.3 million) and North Carolina (1.1 million) also have more than a million ballots cast.

And voting will only continue to ramp up, as in-person early voting will begin or expand in four large states Saturday: Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and New York.

Prominent Democratic megadonors rallied to Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico in the first weeks of October, sensing an opportunity for a breakthrough in a state that has long frustrated the party.

The pre-election filing from Lone Star Rising PAC, the main super PAC backing Talarico’s bid, reported a $2.5 million contribution from Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York City mayor who announced earlier this week that he was spending $80 million total supporting Democrats in the midterms.

Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder and venture capitalist, gave $5 million on October 9, bringing his total contributions to the group to $16.5 million.

And Thomas Henry – a prominent Texas attorney who had previously given more than $600,000 to a super PAC supporting Talarico’s GOP opponent Ken Paxton, during the primary – changed sides, also giving $1 million to the pro-Talarico super PAC.

In addition, Senate Majority PAC, the principal Democratic super PAC focused on Senate races, gave $1 million to the group. And Lone Star Rising PAC hauled in a total of $11.7 million in the two-week reporting period.

Trump flirts — again — with attempting a third term

0:56 • Source: CNN

Trump flirts — again — with attempting a third term

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President Donald Trump told Iowans he thought he had the ability to run for a third term, even though he admitted the law says otherwise.

“I think I have the right to run again. I think I have the right to run again because they cheated,” referring to unproven claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Trump has repeatedly flirted with running for a third term, though at various points he’s definitively ruled it out.

He seemed to both in the same breath on Thursday.

“I think the law said — I’m not 100% sure — but I think the law says that I’m not allowed to run again. I’ve studied that phrase,” he said in Sioux Falls, referring to the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution limiting a person to being elected president only twice.

A few minutes later, he claimed he had the “right” to run a fourth time, claiming his 2020 attempt was stolen from him.

“They rigged the election. They rigged that election,” he said. “We did so good.”

Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican candidate for Senate in Iowa, came to the podium during Trump’s speech to make brief remarks accusing her opponent, Josh Turek, of being a radical.

“There’s never a good time to elect a tax-and-spend liberal to the US Senate. Now would be the worst time. We’re going to keep Iowa red,” she said in very brief remarks.

Unlike most people who speak alongside the president, she did not mention Trump or his record.

Hinson is walking a careful balance in Iowa. While she cannot afford to alienate Trump’s hardcore supporters, she has also distanced herself from some of his more unpopular policies like the Iran war.

Trump, introducing Hinson, said he frequently takes her calls.

“She’s always calling me and asking me for things for Iowa. ‘Sir, could you give a little bit more money to the farmers?’” he said. “I said, this woman is such a pain. But ultimately, that’s nice, I guess.”

Progressive leaders are mobilizing resources to support Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, looking to boost one of their own in one of the most competitive races of the 2026 midterms.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders announced Thursday that “more than a dozen members of Congress and candidates have committed over $1.3 million” to support El-Sayed, including a $1 million direct contribution from Sanders.

Just over a dozen other progressive members and candidates also chipped in, including Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib – members of the so-called “squad” of anti-establishment progressive lawmakers whose rhetoric and ideology El-Sayed has embraced.

Separately, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among the most influential voices of the movement, contributed $1 million to El-Sayed’s campaign last week after joining him on a bus tour in Michigan. It’s a significant deployment of cash for a House member, though Ocasio-Cortez’s most recent FEC filing showed a cash on hand stockpile of more than $17 million, reflecting her fundraising prowess.

The Senate race in Michigan is among the five most expensive races of the midterms, showered with more than $300 million in ad spending, including the primary. Over just the final two weeks the contest is set to see more than more than $44 million, Republicans leading Democrats by about $27.7 million to $16.5 million.

The race is a high-stakes test for the progressive movement in its battle for influence in the Democratic Party, after El-Sayed’s victory in the primary over the more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, and as Republicans have hammered El-Sayed as “radical” and “dangerous.”

Trump told Ramaswamy to thank God for ad featuring opponent's estranged mother

1:01 • Source: CNN

Trump told Ramaswamy to thank God for ad featuring opponent's estranged mother

1:01

President Donald Trump recounted the conversation he held earlier with Vivek Ramaswamy, the Ohio Republican whose ad featuring his opponent’s estranged mother has prompted bipartisan outcry.

Speaking in Iowa, Trump said Ramaswamy asked for his advice as the backlash over the commercial mounted.

“He said, ‘What would you recommend? Because I’m getting killed in the press,’” Trump recalled.

Trump said the contents of the ad were fair game, despite Democrat Amy Acton maintaining she hasn’t spoken to her mother since 1978.

Acton’s mother lost custody of her and her brother when Acton was 12 years old. Her stepfather was indicted by a grand jury on charges of sexually abusing Acton, but her mother stayed with him.

The president, in defending the ad, ignored the accusations of abuse.

“They did an ad of the mother saying the daughter is incompetent, a liar, a disgusting, unreliable person,” Trump said. “My mom would not say that about me, even if she believed it.”

“I said, you got to ride with it,” Trump recalled, defending the spot despite members of his own party condemning it.

Among those who have said the ad is out of line is Rep. Ashley Hinson, the GOP Senate candidate in Iowa who said in a post on X the spot “is ridiculous and needs to come down.”

Hinson is attending Trump’s rally, and spoke before he arrived.

Billionaire Elon Musk has donated at least $445 million to shape election outcomes this cycle, with a large share of his contributions focused on helping Republicans retain their hold on the US Senate.

The outpouring of cash has made the world’s richest man the largest disclosed donor in midterm races that will determine which party controls Congress during the final two years President Donald Trump serves in the White House.

Thursday’s filings with the Federal Election Commission – the final snapshot of political giving before Election Day – shows he plowed an additional $76.8 million into his super PAC in the first two weeks of October.

But he spent heavily in the months before, giving a total of $158 million in September to the Senate Leadership Fund aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. He also made eight-figure donations to super PACs involved in House contests.

Musk’s own group, America PAC, is active in the midterms, funding mailers, digital ads and text-message campaigns aimed at turning out Republican voters.

His tally of his giving over the two-year period also includes spending on state races. Last year, for instance, his America PAC engaged in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race in an unsuccessful effort to help a conservative secure a seat.

Candidates filed FEC reports today covering their fundraising and spending in the first two weeks of October – the last complete look at campaign finances before Election Day – and the reports offer some insight into where key races stand in the final stretch.

Mississippi is in focus, with leading super PACs from both parties moving money this week into the more competitive than expected Senate race there. In the pre-election filing period, GOP incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s anemic fundraising continued, as she brought in just $134,000 while her Democratic challenger, Scott Colom, raised more than three times as much, $474,000.

Democrats showed strength in other battleground Senate contests. In Ohio, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown raised nearly 10 times as much as GOP incumbent Sen. Jon Husted, about $6.7 million to $686,000 on a campaign-to-campaign basis. In Maine, meanwhile, GOP Sen. Susan Collins was once again outraised by former Democratic state Sen. Troy Jackson, $5.2 million to $1.1 million. And in New Hampshire, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas outraised GOP former Sen. John E. Sununu, by more than six times, about $2.2 million to $346,000.

In Georgia, where Democrats are feeling confident, incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff raised about $5.5 million and unloaded more than $16 million on his GOP opponent, Rep. Mike Collins. And Ossoff still reported more than $15 million in cash on hand as of October 14, a sizable reserve.

Another striking signal came in South Carolina, where Democrat Annie Andrews raised more than $4 million in just the 14-day fundraising period for her challenge against Republican Sen. Darline Graham, replacing her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, on the ticket. Graham has not yet filed.

A bright spot for Republicans once again came in Minnesota, where GOP nominee Michele Tafoya outraised Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic nominee, more than two-to-one, $2.8 million to $1.3 million. Tafoya also held more cash on hand for the critical final stretch, $2.8 million to Flanagan’s $1 million reserve, even accounting for about $442,000 in outstanding debts from Tafoya’s campaign.

The Trump administration said Thursday it was appealing its case against California seeking the segregation of potentially thousands of ballots, even as a judge has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday on the Justice Department’s request for the emergency order.

“Given the critical and exigent nature of the relief sought, the Court’s silence is a constructive denial of the United States’ emergency application for preliminary injunctive relief,” the Justice Department wrote in its notice of appeal.

The Justice Department filed the case last week arguing that California was failing to act on the administration’s beliefs that 20,000 people on the voter rolls may be non-citizens. Legal experts have called the case a long shot.

California election officials have noted that the administration only presented the claims last week — when the election process was well under way in the state – and they say initial reviews of the list raise questions about the reliability of the data.

The DOJ countered in a court filing that the situation was an “emergency.”

“Every minute of processing that occurs without segregating the ballots of suspected non-eligible voters causes untraceable disenfranchisement and dilution of the votes of United States citizens,” it said.

The case is being appealed to the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday downplayed consistent polling that shows although Americans favor Democrats on the generic ballot, they aren’t exactly embracing the party, either.

Less than two weeks out from the November 3 elections, the Democratic leader told CNN’s Manu Raju he was confident the party still has a “decisive” advantage over Republicans on key issues.

“If you go through the issue set, and you ask the American people: ‘Who do you trust on the economy?’ Democrats,” he said.

Jeffries’ comments come as a CNN poll published October 21 showed Democrats have widened their edge on the generic ballot — but that a considerable share of voters say they don’t think the country would be better off if the party won control of Congress either.

Asked by Raju if Democrats should do anything differently in a potential House majority to regain Americans’ trust, Jeffries’ answer was simple: deliver.

“We have to make sure that we’re delivering on the promises that we’ve made to fight incredibly hard to lower the high cost of living,” he said. “We’re in a position now where we have a trust advantage on every single issue of importance to the American people.”

Iowa Senate Republican candidate Ashley Hinson called for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to take down a controversial ad about his Democratic opponent, breaking with the White House just ahead of President Donald Trump’s rally in Sioux City.

She said in a post on X that she believes that ad, featuring Democratic candidate Amy Acton’s estranged mother, “is ridiculous and needs to come down.”

Hinson said she disagrees with Vice President JD Vance, who defended the ad and told Republicans who had an issue with it to “stop whining.”

Trump also defended Ramaswamy and encouraged him to keep running the spot. CNN earlier reported that the president thought Republicans criticizing the ad were “weak,” and viewed the backlash as damaging in the final stretch of the campaign, a person familiar with the matter said.

Trump is set to speak shortly in Iowa at a rally for Hinson, who faces a tight race in a state he won by double digits in 2024.

The congresswoman has sought to highlight her independence on the campaign trail and called for Trump to end the war with Iran.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.

There’s no clear leader in the race for Senate in Maine, according to a new CNN Poll of Polls average, which finds about 49% of likely voters supporting Democrat Troy Jackson and 48% backing Republican Susan Collins, the incumbent.

That includes a Fox News poll released Thursday that shows a tied race. The other surveys incorporated in the average — from the Washington Post-Schar School, CBS/YouGov, UNH and NYT/Portland Press Herald/Siena — also found results within the margin of error.

In the latest Fox News poll, likely voters are closely divided in their views of both Jackson (47% view him favorably, 49% unfavorably) and Collins (47% favorable, 51% unfavorable).

President Donald Trump’s approval rating is deeply underwater in the state, and a 53% majority of likely voters say they’re concerned that Collins votes with Trump too often. At the same time, just under half, 46%, say that they’re concerned Jackson’s positions are too liberal.

Trump says Amy Acton is 'fair game'

President Donald Trump on Thursday called Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton “fair game” as he defended Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad that features her estranged mother and ignored the abuse allegations against her stepfather.

0:53 • Source: CNN

Trump says Amy Acton is 'fair game'

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President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak shortly in Iowa at a rally for Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, who faces a tight race in a state Trump won by double digits in 2024.

Democrat nominee Josh Turek has a slight edge in the race, new polls today showed, alongside narrow leads for the Democratic candidates in Ohio and Texas.

Trump will be back in Iowa on November 1 for a rally in a competitive House district, according to the Republican National Committee.

And in another state Trump carried in 2024, the Ohio governor race has been rocked by GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring his opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother.

Here’s more of today’s campaign news:

Ohio ad turmoil: Trump doubled down on defending Ramaswamy’s ad and again ignored the abuse allegations against her stepfather, calling Acton “fair game.” A person familiar with the matter told CNN the president thought Republicans criticizing the ad were “weak” and that he viewed the backlash as damaging.

Trump’s campaign route: Trump declined to say whether he would travel to Maine ahead of the midterms, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins has sought at times to distance herself from the administration amid a tough reelection fight. The latest CNN Poll of Polls shows no clear leader in the race between Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson.

Mississippi draws spending: Another sign of the unfavorable national environment for Trump came in Mississippi, where a leading GOP super PAC announced plans to buy advertisements in the unexpectedly competitive Senate race there.

More GOP cash: With less than two weeks to Election Day and little sign of improving poll numbers, Republicans are spending furiously to try to boost their candidates. Just this month, No Going Back PAC, one of the super PACs funded by Trump’s political network, spent nearly $60 million while and Elon Musk gave another $76.8 million to his super PAC.

Key NY House race: On the other side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is set to campaign in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley this weekend alongside Democrat Cait Conley, who is running to flip one of the nation’s most competitive seats in New York’s 17th Congressional District. He told CNN today that he fears Republicans could come up a “diabolical scheme” to prevent a free and fair election.

CNN’s Patrick Svitek, Kaanita Iyer, Kit Maher, Adam Cancryn, David Wright, Fredreka Schouten, Gloria Pazmino, Jeremy Herb and Gabe Cohen contributed reporting.

CNN's Manu Raju interviews House Minority Leader Jeffries ahead of pivotal midterm elections

2:44 • Source: CNN

CNN's Manu Raju interviews House Minority Leader Jeffries ahead of pivotal midterm elections

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN on Thursday that his party was “on the verge” of regaining control of the House of Representatives – but said he fears Republicans could come up a “diabolical scheme” to prevent a free and fair election on November 3.

Jeffries, who is poised to become the next House Speaker if Democrats flip the chamber, told CNN’s Manu Raju his party was “very likely” to regain control.

“We have extraordinary candidates. The issue environment is clearly on our side,” he said.

But pressed on whether there was any chance the Democrats could fail, Jeffries told Raju, “You have to assume, as we’ve done from the very beginning, that Republicans are going to try to come up with any diabolical scheme to prevent November 3rd from being a free and fair election.”

He continued, “We’ve been planning from the very beginning to push back against all of the voter suppression efforts that they’ve tried to jam down the throats of the American people. Now, up until this point, we’ve successfully stopped their scheming.”

The Democrat doubled down when asked if that was the “only” way the GOP could retain power.

“I’ve said that from the very beginning… These extremists promised to lower the high cost of living on day one, but costs haven’t gone down,” he said.

“They’ve left behind a graveyard of broken promises, which is why they’re desperate at this point. They’re not running on issues, but the American people know they’ve failed,” he added.