California GOP group linked to Ohio news site promoting Ramaswamy Acton ad

Key Points:

• The Buckeye Bulletin, a newly emerged Ohio-based site presenting itself as a local news outlet, is promoting pro-Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy while hiding its funding and staff details, raising concerns about "pink-slime" journalism tactics.
• The site’s social media accounts are managed by the Lincoln Media Foundation, a nonprofit linked to California’s Lincoln Club, a prominent conservative donor organization, which has previously been connected to similar partisan outlets targeting key election states.
• The Buckeye Bulletin heavily features political content favorable to Ramaswamy and critical of his Democratic opponent Amy Acton, including controversial ads and posts that omit significant context, sparking criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans.
• Experts note that such partisan sites exploit voter fatigue with traditional ads by masquerading as legitimate news sources, increasing engagement and perceived credibility, while the rise of AI tools facilitates the rapid, low-cost production of biased content.
• This phenomenon contributes to public distrust in political institutions and the media, as these outlets fill the void left by declining independent local journalism and often go unnoticed by the average reader as partisan propaganda.