Author: NOVA Corp

President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed the CEO of a sticker company—who once fought local officials to keep a massive pro-Trump sign on his factory—to fill the House seat of outgoing Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

In a move that defied the preferred nominee of the New York GOP, Trump threw his support toward Anthony Constantino over Assembly member Robert Smullen.

“It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Anthony Constantino, who is running to represent the fantastic people of New York’s 21st Congressional District,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Constantino told Fox News Digital that he spoke with Trump and was honored to receive the nod. “He noted every primary candidate he endorses wins, so I look forward to winning the general election and making everyone who supported me very proud once I am in Congress,” he said.

TRUMP CONTINUES LAMBASTING INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE AS CHALLENGER FILES TO ENTER RACE

While Smullen has garnered the support of establishment Republican leaders, Constantino has received endorsements from high-profile Trump allies, including Roger Stone and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Smullen and the New York GOP.

Constantino, the CEO of Sticker Mule, gained national attention after installing a 100-foot “Vote for Trump” sign atop his manufacturing facility in Montgomery County, New York, prior to the 2024 election. The sign sparked a local legal battle, which the president highlighted in his endorsement.

“Anthony has been such a Great Supporter that he actually put up a somewhat ‘controversial’ sign, against strong opposition, in my honor. The sign is still there!” Trump wrote.

STEFANIK RECEIVES TOP JEWISH AWARD DAYS AFTER ANNOUNCING NEW YORK GOVERNOR BID AT MANHATTAN GALA

Speaking to reporters in Albany shortly after the announcement, Smullen accused Roger Stone of duping the president into a rushed endorsement. Smullen argued that Stone, who advises Constantino, had misled the president, the New York Post reported.

“A consultant got to the president, someone who is being paid by my opponent, and I think the president’s made a mistake,” Smullen said, adding that Trump needs to hear “the facts.”

Constantino, a formerly registered Democrat, was inspired to run for Congress following the first assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Penn. He previously told Fox News Digital that the president “doesn’t deserve all the hate directed at him,” adding that Trump’s supporters don’t deserve it either.

Stefanik’s seat became open after a shifting series of political moves.

Upon taking office, Trump initially nominated her to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations but later withdrew the nomination over concerns of retaining the thin House Republican majority. Stefanik subsequently ran a short-lived campaign for Governor of New York before announcing she would not seek re-election to Congress.

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., blasted an effort to remove him from office over domestic abuse allegations and other misconduct claims, telling Fox News Digital on Monday that Rep. Nancy Mace’s, R-S.C., push is a political stunt.

“This is political theatrics,” Mills said of Mace’s resolution while at the Capitol on Monday. “… She’s essentially saying she’s judge, juror and executioner.”

Mace introduced an expulsion resolution on Monday, citing a House Ethics Committee probe of Mills. It’s the latest development in a series of allegations that have clung to Mills since reports began circulating last year of alleged predatory behavior towards former romantic partners.

Mills has denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged with any crimes, although he has been referred for investigation to the House Ethics Committee, the body charged with scrutinizing lawmakers suspected of breaking congressional rules of conduct.

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Although the committee can refer a matter to the Department of Justice (DOJ), an investigation by the committee does not implicate wrongdoing on its own.

Mills told Fox News Digital on Monday at the U.S. Capitol that if lawmakers move to expel him before the House Ethics Committee reaches any conclusion, they would also have to consider expelling Mace, who is herself under ethics review over lodging reimbursement claims.

“This is really interesting, coming from someone like Ms. Mace. If this is the precedent for expulsion, then she herself would be under that same precedent,” Mills said.

“She’s saying as ‘long as you’re under an ethics investigation’ — oh but wait — Ms. Mace is under an ethics investigation for allegedly renting her own home to herself as an Airbnb, utilizing taxpayer funding,” Mills said.

Mills faces allegations of domestic abuse from an incident in February 2025 and a separate case of blackmail from July that same year, where he allegedly threatened to release explicit images of a romantic partner.

Mills’ comments come amid a handful of other lawmakers resigning over alleged misconduct of their own and a moment of heightened scrutiny on lawmaker conduct.

Most notably, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., first abandoned a California gubernatorial bid and then resigned his seat earlier this month when several women accused him of sexual abuse, coercion and rape.

Days later, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced plans to leave office after months of public outrage over revelations about an intimate relationship with a staffer who had committed suicide by setting herself on fire.

REP. CORY MILLS DENIES WRONGDOING AS POLICE INVESTIGATE ALLEGED ‘ASSAULT’

Unlike Gonzales and Swalwell, Mills noted that he is currently not under investigation outside of Congress.

“The bottom line is there is absolutely no criminal or civil investigation that’s even open about me,” Mills said.

Even in the absence of a federal probe, Mace argued that the “evidence against Mills is overwhelming.”

“Beating women and telling them to lie about it, cyberstalking women … Any Member who votes to keep him here is voting to protect a woman beater and a fraud. He needs to be expelled immediately,” Mace said in a press release.

Mills believes Mace’s motion to expel him is an attempt to set a new bar for removing sitting members of Congress — one that he believes goes too far.

“It’s one thing to introduce it for political theatrics and fundraising. It’s another to notice it for a vote. She’s setting a very dangerous precedent.”

DEM SENATOR RIPPED FOR ‘SMEAR’ OF FEMALE ACTIVIST ADVOCATING FOR SWALWELL’S ACCUSERS: ‘VERY BAD LOOK’

Mace’s resolution will likely hit the floor for consideration later this week.

Senate Republicans launched their party-line gamble Tuesday to fund immigration operations for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s time in office.

The GOP took its first step in the budget reconciliation process, which is meant to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three-and-a-half years. The party-line vote sets up a forthcoming marathon vote on amendments in the upper chamber before the budget blueprint is shipped to the House.

It’s a maneuver meant to cut Democrats out of the process, as they refused to fund immigration operations absent stringent reforms during weeks of negotiations to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.

SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL IMMIGRATION FUNDING PLAN WITH $140 BILLION PRICE TAG AS GOP AIMS TO SPEND LESS

“Republicans are doing something that must be done quickly, and that our Democrat colleagues are trying to prevent us from doing,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who crafted the resolution. “That something is simple: fully fund Border Patrol and ICE at a time of great threat to the United States.”

Republicans earlier unveiled their budget resolution, which will serve as the guiding framework as the GOP moves forward to fund immigration enforcement. It sets instructions for the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to spend up to $70 billion each.

While the combined sum of $140 billion is eye-popping, Republicans are eyeing between $70 billion and $80 billion as the final total for immigration enforcement and want to give both committees maximum flexibility as they craft the legislative meat of the package.

Senate Democrats argue that the money could go toward tackling affordability issues in the country, citing healthcare, housing, and soaring gas prices stemming from President Donald Trump’s war in Iran as examples.

SENATE GOP READYING PARTY-LINE FUNDING BILL DESPITE DIVISIONS, ANGER AT THE HOUSE

“No reforms, no accountability, no strings attached, let it sink in,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “One hundred forty billion for ICE, $0 to lower your costs. That’s these days what the Republican Party seems to stand for. Senate Republicans are choosing to follow Trump and Stephen Miller instead of the needs of the American families.”

Turning to the party-line process to fund immigration operations was not the first choice for Republicans, but one made out of necessity given Democrats’ blockade of funding for ICE and much of CBP.

Still, some are worried about the precedent that could be set for how Congress is supposed to fund the government.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., raised that concern and argued, “I don’t see any way, in a Trump administration, that they’re gonna come to the table and fund those two agencies.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS RACE TO FUND ICE, CBP WITHOUT DEMOCRATS AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS

“We tried to avoid this. But at some point, we recognized that they’re just not gonna get to ‘yes,’” Thune said. “And that was pretty clear after spending weeks trying to negotiate with them.”

Still, Republicans have a long way to go before they advance the budget resolution to the House — and even further before the final product lands on Trump’s desk. He’s demanded that the GOP produce the package no later than June 1.

Not every Republican in the upper chamber is thrilled with the narrow scope of the plan, with some wanting to front-load several issues into one package out of concern they may not get another shot.

For now, however, they’re moving full speed ahead.

“It’s not am I OK with it, is the president’s administration OK with it,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a fiscal hawk who was critical of the GOP’s previous reconciliation attempt. “I mean, do they think they have enough through fiscal year 2029? That’s their call, not mine.”

A left-wing lawfare group is trying to uncover records that might prove FBI Director Kash Patel engaged in behavior unfit for his role, such as “excessive drinking and unexplained absences.”

Democracy Forward, a group that supports left-wing policy positions in court on issues like DEI, immigration and abortion, sent a 16-page Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Justice Department on Tuesday. It asks for documents, schedules and communications that seek to prove allegations made against Patel in a recent article published by The Atlantic.

The report suggests the FBI Director has a drinking problem, poses a national security risk and is at the helm of persistent management failures at the bureau — and it comes as lawmakers warn Patel ‘is next’ after three Trump cabinet secretaries exited the administration in recent weeks.

DEMS’ ‘DELAY TACTIC’ TO ‘MALIGN’ PATEL AND STALL FBI CONFIRMATION DISMISSED AS ‘BASELESS’ BY TOP SENATE LEADER

“Kash Patel should be next,” Democrat House Whip Katherine Clark said after news broke of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s exit Monday following a probe into her own alleged ethical lapses.

“Start the clock,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., added following the Atlantic’s report.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department, the FBI and representatives for Patel regarding the FOIA request, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Meanwhile, Patel filed earlier this week a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic for its reporting on his alleged conduct.

Democratic Party leadership warning the FBI and DOJ about its duty to preserve all records related to alleged incidents involving Patel that could become subject to a potential congressional inquiry. Then came the FOIA filing.

“Democracy Forward Foundation seeks records that would help the public understand the issues raised in the Atlantic article as it relates to previous reporting on potential concerns surrounding Director Patel’s ability to run a key law enforcement agency and his use of taxpayer dollars,” the group’s letter to the Justice Department states.

PATEL DOUBLES DOWN ON FBI ELECTION HUB RAID, SAYS TRUMP CALLED AGENTS DIRECTLY TO THANK THEM FOR OPERATION

The group is interested in Patel’s calendars, schedule, text messages and other electronic communications between himself and his staff. Democracy Forward also specifically asks for any records reflecting “a request for or use of ‘breaching equipment’ that was made by or used by Director Kash Patel’s security detail.”

The request comes at a time when the DOJ is facing it’s own shake-up after Pam Bondi was ousted as Attorney General earlier this month.Todd Blanche, once Bondi’s deputy, is serving as Acting Attorney General.

When asked about Patel’s future as the top dog at the FBI, Republican strategist Mark Bednar, who has worked for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and current Transportation Secretary and former Congressman Sean Duffy, was more supportive of his tenure, arguing the FBI has seen positive change since Patel took charge.

“In the years leading up to President Trump being elected to his second term, the American people had lost confidence in the FBI as an institution. Kash Patel is part of President Trump’s goal of revitalizing the agency and executing on the “Make America Safe Again” agenda,” Bednar told Fox News Digital.

A separate GOP strategist who requested anonymity argued that if Patel leaves it won’t be because of The Atlantic hit piece.

“If Kash Patel goes down, it won’t be because of a damaging Atlantic story, which is a badge of honor in this Administration,” they told Fox News Digital. “It’s more likely because the President views him as becoming a liability during a time of war, as well as a desire to clean house in one fell swoop as the midterms approach.”

“There’s already blood in the water with the three ousted Cabinet picks, and knocking out one more gives the President a chance to head into November with a refreshed slate and the best team around him.”

A University of Michigan Board of Regents member was ousted after Michigan Democrats selected a candidate who shared social media posts praising Hezbollah as the party’s nominee.

Amir Makled, a trial lawyer, bested incumbent Regent Jordan Acker, who is Jewish, for the Democratic Party’s nomination at the state party’s convention over the weekend, sparking criticism from a former leader of the state’s Democratic Party.

More than a week before Michigan’s Democratic Convention, the Detroit News reported that Makled had shared and later deleted posts on X praising Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Abu Ali Khalil, who were both killed in Israeli airstrikes. In both posts Makled shared, Nasrallah and Khalil are dubbed “martyrs.”

UC DAVIS PROFESSOR WHO POSTED VIOLENT THREATS AGAINST ‘ZIONISTS’ KEEPS JOB AFTER DISCIPLINE

The Democratic nominee also shared a now-deleted post from Candace Owens in which she called Israelis “demons” who “lie, steal, cheat, murder and blackmail.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Makled for comment.

Brandon Dillon, the former head of Michigan’s Democratic Party, penned an opinion piece in the Detroit News criticizing Makled’s candidacy that was published just days before Makled won the party’s nomination. Dillon said Makled is not a Democrat and that his social media behavior reflects “a pattern of extremism and bigotry.”

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER ADDRESSES HUNDREDS OF ‘WANTED’ POSTERS FOR JEWISH FACULTY MEMBERS POSTED AROUND CAMPUS

“These are not isolated missteps or comments taken out of context,” Dillon wrote in the Detroit News. “They reflect a broader pattern of poor judgment that should raise serious concern.”

In his acceptance speech for the party’s nomination, Makled gave a nod to students involved in anti-Israel protests that formed on the University of Michigan’s campus in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.

“To these students, the students who spoke up, the students who organized, the students who refused to let anyone tell them that their education wasn’t worth fighting for, you all reminded us what a public university is supposed to be,” Makled said.

ELITE UNIVERSITY ATTENDED BY TRUMP’S SON CRACKS DOWN ON LEFT-WING STUDENT AGITATORS

Makled, who legally represented University of Michigan students involved in anti-Israel campus protests, had previously called for the university system to divest from Israel.

The anti-Israel protests which formed at the University of Michigan led to reports of antisemitic attacks against Jewish students. The University of Michigan was one of 60 universities notified by the Department of Education that it was being investigated for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for failing to properly address antisemitic harassment and discrimination.

In December 2024 — just months before the Education Department shared its notice with the University of Michigan — the car belonging to outgoing Regent Acker was vandalized. The words “Divest… Free Palestine” and an inverted triangle, a reference to Hamas, were spray-painted in red across Acker’s vehicle.

At the time of the attack, Acker said it was the third time that year he’d been victimized by anti-Israel vandals.

Fox News Digital reached out to Acker for comment.

Rep. lhan Omar, D-Minn., brushed past questions from a Fox News Digital reporter on Monday about reported accounting errors that had previously inflated her reported wealth by millions, declining to explain the discrepancies.

Omar’s finances continued to grab national attention on Friday, when Congressional disclosures reviewed by the Wall Street Journal indicated that Omar’s wealth is somewhere between $18,000 and $95,000 — a far cry from previous reports that had put her wealth between $6 and $30 million.

Fox News Digital attempted to ask Omar about the discrepancies, but the Minnesota congresswoman ignored the questions while chatting and laughing with another woman. 

MAN ACCUSED OF SPRAYING OMAR HAS CRIMINAL RECORD AS CONGRESSWOMAN VOWS ‘A–HOLES’ WON’T WIN

Omar’s office previously said the new numbers would end suspicion that Omar may have used her position on Capitol Hill to monetarily benefit her and her husband.

“The amended disclosure confirms what we’ve said all along: The congresswoman is not a millionaire,” Omar spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

Rogers noted that the filing was corrected “as soon as the discrepancy was identified.”

While the new figures undercut concerns about the size of her wealth and where it came from, they also bring new questions of their own, including how they had been so far off the mark in the first place.

Omar came under fire last year when disclosure reporting revealed she and her husband accumulated up to $30 million in wealth, drawing calls from President Donald Trump for lawmakers to investigate her husband’s business ties.

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“The DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘congresswoman’ Ilhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than $44 million. Time will tell all. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” Trump said in a a post to Truth Social last year.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment on whether lawmakers should continue scrutiny of Omar’s business ties in light of new evaluations.

Omar’s wealth jump had been tied to two businesses: Rose Lake Capital and ESTCRU LLC.

In 2024, evaluations of Rose Lake, a business firm co-founded by her husband, reached between $5 million and $25 million. Just one year before, in 2023, she reported that the same company’s value was between $1 and $1,000.

‘SQUAD’ REP AYANNA PRESSLEY’S EX-CON HUSBAND SLAPS PHONE OUT OF MAN’S HANDS AS HE TRIES TO ASK HER A QUESTION

Similarly, ESTCRU LLC, a winery registered in Santa Rosa, California, first appeared on Omar’s disclosure reports in 2020 and had a value of just $15,000 to $50,000 in 2023. In 2024, that evaluation exploded to between $1 million and $5 million.

Reports of Omar’s wealth drew scrutiny from the House Oversight Committee, which demanded to see more of the companies’ business records earlier this year. 

Responding to new evaluations, Emmer said Omar shouldn’t consider herself safe from congressional investigations just yet. 

“Ilhan Omar is even more clueless than I thought if she thinks this financial disclosure revision clears her of suspicion,” Emmer exclusively told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

“She can backtrack, obfuscate, and distract all she wants but she’s made clear who she is: A fraud-enabling, racist antisemite who espouses anti-American rhetoric every chance she gets,” Emmer charged of his fellow Minnesota lawmaker.

Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Democrat Analilia Mejia was sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday after decisively winning a special election last week in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill vacated the House seat last year after winning the Garden State’s gubernatorial contest.

Mejia has been an advocate for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

MEET ANALILIA MEJIA, THE SANDERS-AOC BACKED PROGRESSIVE WHO JUST WON ELECTION TO CONGRESS

“I join you today with a message delivered by the people of New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, but echoed nationally: Stand up, defend, restore, not only our democracy, but also a just economy that actually works for working people,” Mejia declared during a speech after being sworn in.

BERNIE SANDERS, AOC-BACKED DEMOCRAT WINS KEY HOUSE RACE; GOP FAILS TO EXPAND FRAGILE MAJORITY

Republicans now hold a slim 217-214 majority in the lower congressional chamber.

Rep. Kevin Kiley of California switched from Republican to independent last month.

EX-TRUMP ALLY MTG SLAMS BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL AISLE: ‘NOTHING EVER CHANGES’

While Republicans currently hold the majority in both the House of Representatives and Senate, Democrats are aiming to change that during the 2026 midterm election cycle.

Mexico’s president is demanding answers after a crash killed two U.S. officials tied to a cartel-related operation — an incident exposing conflicting accounts over American involvement inside the country.

Fox News can independently confirm via a U.S. official that the two deceased individuals worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA declined to comment.

The crash in the northern state of Chihuahua killed two U.S. Embassy personnel and two Mexican officials as they were returning from an operation targeting a clandestine drug lab, according to authorities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration was not informed of any U.S. presence and has ordered an investigation into whether Mexican sovereignty or national security laws were violated.

MEXICO BROKE INTERNATIONAL LAW WITH THE CARTELS AND AMERICANS SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES

“We were not aware of any direct work or coordination between the state of Chihuahua and personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said in a Tuesday press conference, adding that her government is seeking information from both local authorities and the United States.

She stressed that Mexico does not permit joint operations with foreign governments, saying cooperation is limited to intelligence-sharing “within a clearly defined framework … in keeping with our sovereignty.”

But officials in Chihuahua, Mexico, offered a different account, describing the U.S. personnel as part of routine cooperation with local authorities.

“Two instructor officers from the U.S. Embassy died while carrying out training duties as part of the exchange we generally and routinely have with U.S. authorities,” state prosecutor César Jáuregui Moreno said in a Tuesday press conference. 

He added the Americans had “always supported us with advisory support and training, as part of our regular exchange.”

Experts say those roles often extend beyond the classroom.

“The CIA has been supporting counter-narcotics efforts for some time and works closely with the DEA, the military and partner governments,” said Christine Balling, a counterinsurgency expert with experience in Latin America.

Balling said the role described as “training” can place U.S. personnel alongside partner forces in operational settings.

“People think training is just in the classroom — it’s not,” she said. “These officers would be working with partner forces on things like strategy or technology, including drones.”

“It makes perfect sense that they would be on site when an operation is carried out and be vulnerable,” she added.

Under Mexican law, foreign security cooperation is generally subject to federal oversight, but in practice those relationships can play out at the local level, sometimes without national leaders being directly involved in every operation.

The incident comes as tensions grow over the U.S. role in Mexico’s fight against powerful drug cartels.

President Donald Trump has increased pressure on Mexico to crack down on trafficking groups, while recent operations have relied heavily on U.S. support, including surveillance and intelligence-sharing to locate cartel targets.

But Sheinbaum has drawn a firm line against any unilateral U.S. activity inside Mexico.

Balling said Sheinbaum likely was not aware of the specific mission but faces political pressure to distance herself from any American-involved operations.

“There are domestic political pressures to show that the government is in control and not allowing outside forces to take over,” she said.

“I would be shocked if she knew the details, unless it was the type of operation that required a president’s sign-off,” Balling added.

It remains unclear what caused the crash, and authorities have not said whether foul play is suspected.

Officials said the Americans were not involved in the raid itself and had been conducting training work elsewhere before meeting with Mexican investigators after the operation.

Balling said the circumstances may never be fully clear, raising the possibility — without evidence — that cartel involvement could be difficult to confirm publicly.

“It makes perfect sense that they would be on site when an operation would go down and then be vulnerable to whether this was actually an accident or an intentional hit,” she said. “I don’t think that would ever be made public.”

FIRST ON FOX: Vivek Ramaswamy is putting his money where his mouth is, and the Republican candidate for Ohio governor is fulfilling a campaign pledge he first made last summer.

Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and business leader, invested $25 million of his own money into his gubernatorial campaign so far this year. He first grabbed national attention in the 2024 election cycle by running for the GOP presidential nomination before dropping out and becoming a top surrogate for President Donald Trump.

The investment was included in Ramaswamy’s latest fundraising report, which indicates he has hauled in a record $50 million since launching his campaign last year. That includes $30 million this year — $5 million from donors and Ramaswamy’s $25 million investment.

The fundraising report, shared first with Fox News Digital Tuesday, also highlights that Ramaswamy had $30 million in his campaign coffers at the end of last month. Separately, the Ramaswamy-aligned American Exceptionalism PAC reported $29.5 million in fundraising so far this cycle.

RAMASWAMY REVEALS RUNNING MATE IN BID FOR OHIO GOVERNOR

“No gubernatorial campaign in Ohio history has ever put up numbers like this, and it sends a clear message: Ohioans are fired up for Vivek, our campaign is growing, and we will win big in November,” Ramaswamy’s campaign manager Jonathan Ewing said in a statement.

The report, coming before next month’s Ohio primary, showcases Ramaswamy’s large fundraising advantage over his Democratic rival for governor, Amy Acton, a doctor and researcher who served as director of the state Department of Health from 2019-2020. The winner of November’s election will succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.

Once a top general election battleground state, Ohio has shifted to the right over the past decade, with Trump carrying the state by 11 points in the 2024 election.

But this year’s race for governor and a battle for a U.S. Senate seat in the Buckeye State are expected to be competitive. The Cook Report, a nonpartisan political handicapper, rates the governor’s race as leaning Republican, which is one step away from being considered a toss-up.

As first reported by Fox News Digital in July, Ramaswamy pledged to infuse up to $30 million of his own money into his bid for governor. His campaign says the $25 million investment so far this year is a large down payment on the pledge.

RAMASWAMY DESCRIBES MAIN LESSON LEARNED BY REPUBLICANS AFTER DEMOCRATS’ BIG WINS ON ELECTION DAY

Acton’s campaign last week reported that it brought in $9.3 million in fundraising to date, which it highlighted as “the most ever raised at this point in the calendar by a Democratic candidate for governor in the state’s history.”

The campaign also reported more than $4.8 million raked in during the first three months of this year.

Campaign manager Philip Stein said the fundraising “is the clearest sign yet that Ohioans, including independents and Republicans, are excited to elect Dr. Amy Acton to be Ohio’s next governor.”

Ramaswamy, who was endorsed by Trump last year as he launched his campaign, has used his large financial lead over Acton to put up ads statewide in Ohio. The campaign in March launched a $10 million ad buy and pledged to keep running spots through Election Day in November.

Ramaswamy’s campaign noted that “Vivek has already far surpassed all finance benchmarks set in recent gubernatorial campaigns.”

It also spotlighted the grassroots nature of Ramaswamy’s fundraising, with 392,347 donations from more than 120,000 unique donors and an average contribution of just $63. It also pointed out that donors giving $200 or less accounted for over 98% of individual contributions.

The campaign pointed out that the fundraising drive will continue and shared that Ramaswamy will headline a fundraising event in Columbus on Thursday evening that’s expected to bring in over $1 million.

Southern Poverty Law Center’s interim CEO Bryan Fair claimed in a Tuesday video that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the organization and possibly preparing criminal charges.

“Although we don’t know all the details,” Fair said in a video posted to the organization’s YouTube account, “the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups.”

The SPLC is a nonprofit group that has come under fire in recent years for alleged political bias. In October, FBI Director Kash Patel eliminated all ties to the organization after they labeled Turning Point USA a hate group.

“The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine,” Patel said in a Oct. 3 post on X.

TRUMP ADMIN AGENCIES COORDINATING TO EXPOSE BIDEN ADMIN’S ‘PROLIFIC AND DANGEROUS’ WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT

“Their so-called ‘hate map’ has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence,” he said at the time. “That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership.”

Fair pointed to that announcement as proof that the SPLC was being targeted by the Trump administration. He also cited a December hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government titled “Partisan and profitable: the SPLC’s influence on federal civil rights policy.”

Before Patel cut ties, SPLC had collaborated with the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies on their informant program, which Fair claimed was at the heart of the alleged investigation.

BERKELEY GROUP USES SONG ETCHED ON CHARLIE KIRK’S SUSPECTED KILLER’S BULLET CASINGS TO PROMOTE TPUSA PROTEST

“We frequently shared what we learned from informants with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI. We did not, however, share our use of informants broadly with anyone, in order to protect the identity and safety of the informants and their families,” he said.

Fair also said the SPLC no longer works with paid informants.

In May 2025, the group published an analysis of Turning Point USA as a hate group, calling it a “well-funded, hard-right organization with links to Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hard-right extremists,” and adding that its “primary strategy is sowing and exploiting fear that white Christian supremacy is under attack by nefarious actors, including immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights activists.”

BIDEN DOJ WEAPONIZED FACE ACT TO IMPRISON PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS, ATTORNEY TELLS HOUSE: ‘SYSTEMATIC CAMPAIGN’

On Sept. 9, one day before Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, SPLC published a newsletter that Charlie Kirk Show producer Andrew Kolvet described as an attack.

Kolvet questioned whether or not the newsletter contributed to Kirk’s death.

“Did these contribute to the assassin’s motive?” Kolvet wrote in an October post on X.

“We may never know, but the swirl of extremist propaganda certainly played a role. The SPLC has been credibly accused of corruption, mishandling of donations, union-busting, and covering up of sexual assault by senior leadership, all while sitting on nearly $1 billion in reserves and being based in red Alabama. These are legitimate predicates for investigation. Those should happen immediately,” Kolvet concluded.

Fox News Digital contacted SPLC and the DOJ for comment but did not immediately receive a response.