Jonathan Martin: “It’s tempting to say that Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad deploying the estranged mother of his opponent in the Ohio governor’s race is the worst sort of ends-justify-the-means politics.”

“But the ends, in this case, are likely to be an even more pronounced rejection of Ramaswamy at the polls next month. The spot isn’t just bad taste, it’s bad politics.”

“What the ad represents, rather, is an opening salvo in the post-midterms fight for the Republican Party’s future. It’s a battle that will accelerate next year but may not culminate until the 2030s. Put simply, what sort of party does the GOP want to be — and what will the market bear?”

Ed Kilgore: “The term carpetbagger was originally applied to Northerners who moved South after the Civil War to launch political careers under the protection of military Reconstruction; it referred to the hastily procured bags manufactured from carpet scraps the transplants allegedly used. More recently, the term has been applied to politicians who conveniently relocate themselves into the vicinity of political opportunities…”

“So in itself, the decision by conservative ex-lobbyist and businessman Zach Lahn to move from Kansas to Iowa in 2024 and then run for governor — winning the 2026 GOP primary in a big upset — isn’t so remarkable. Indeed, Lahn was born and grew up in Iowa, where his family had lived for generations, and owned property there.”

“What has made his case interesting — and for supporters of his Democratic opponent, Rob Sand, hilarious — is his difficulty making a clean break with it. He seems very involved in Kansas matters.”

“The races for some of Georgia’s top elected offices are a dead heat, setting up a last-minute scramble that will have big implications for how state government operates come January,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

“A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey of likely Georgia voters shows the races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state are deadlocked just a week and a half before the Nov. 3 election.”