Vivek Ramaswamy’s new attack ad on Democratic opponent Amy Acton has ignited a firestorm in Ohio. The backlash points to a much bigger problem for Republicans: finding a closing message that connects with voters. Then the other stories animating Washington: President Donald Trump sidesteps questions about endorsing Vice President JD Vance for 2028 and&nbsp;Trump reportedly considers replacing the Brady Press Briefing Room with a swimming pool.&nbsp;
For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Playbook newsletter: <a href="https://www.politico.com/playbook">politico.com/playbook</a>&nbsp;

Vivek Ramaswamy’s new attack ad on Democratic opponent Amy Acton has ignited a firestorm in Ohio. The backlash points to a much bigger problem for Republicans: finding a closing message that connects with voters. Then the other stories animating Washington: President Donald Trump sidesteps questions about endorsing Vice President JD Vance for 2028 and&nbsp;Trump reportedly considers replacing the Brady Press Briefing Room with a swimming pool.&nbsp;

For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Playbook newsletter: politico.com/playbook&nbsp;

The GOP has a midterm messaging problem. Ramaswamy isn’t helping.

Description