Campaigns drag grieving families into midterm attack ads

In the 2026 midterms, campaigns are using family tragedies as political ammunition, sometimes against families' wishes. Georgia Republican nominee Rick Jackson aired ads featuring murdered 8-year-old Secoriea Turner's image and her mother's 911 call, despite family objections. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign spent $4 million on an ad featuring his opponent's estranged mother, who disputes her daughter's abuse claims.