Washington: Representative Mike Turner has blamed a late campaign advertisement by Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for hurting the party’s candidates across Ohio, saying it helped tip his own Congressional race to a Democrat.
Turner, who lost to Kristina Knickerbocker in last week’s election, made the remarks in a CNN interview on Wednesday.
The advertisement targeted Democrat Amy Acton, who defeated the Indian-American Republican in Ohio’s Governor’s race, and featured criticism from her mother.
“That final ad from Vivek really was kind of a lightning strike at the end, and it had an impact up and down the ticket in all the races,” Turner said, according to CNN’s transcript of the interview.
Asked whether he believed the advertisement cost him his seat, Turner said: “I think absolutely that that was the margin at the end, yes, absolutely.”
Turner also acknowledged the broader Democratic wave facing the Republicans.
The advertisement featured Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, and drew criticism from Republican Governor Mike DeWine, according to The Daily Beast.
DeWine had endorsed Ramaswamy but urged him to take down the advertisement without withdrawing his endorsement.
Turner suggested in the CNN interview that some voters had cast ballots as a protest.
He also defended US President Donald Trump when asked whether the war with Iran had been a mistake, saying that previous administrations had failed to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Turner has represented his southwestern Ohio district for more than two decades. His loss came as Ramaswamy’s bid for Governor also ended in defeat.
Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur, sought the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024 before ending his campaign after the Iowa Caucuses.
Acton is a former Ohio Public Health Director.
(IANS)
