Steven Crichton said he wouldn’t have survived the summer after his graduation if it wasn’t for his local foodbank

A father-of-four has told of he wouldn’t have survived the summer holidays without using a foodbank after he was left in limbo between graduating and getting a job.

Steven Crichton, 41, from Llantwit Fardre, had to turn to a foodbank almost immediately after finishing his four-year degree.

On the day of his graduation he couldn’t afford to have a proper breakfast or go for a swanky meal to celebrate – instead he was scratching his head about how he’d feed his children when they broke up for the summer holidays three days later.

Growing up Steven experienced a tough childhood – he lost his dad to suicide aged six and years of drug problems followed in his later teens. Following a family breakdown in his late 30s he went to therapy and said the experience completely empowered him.

At the time he was working for the Autism Directory charity but he began studying counselling skillls at night school in Coleg y Cymoedd alongside his job.

Having spent two years studying he then took voluntary redundancy just before the Covid-19 pandemic so he could go to university to study with the intention of becoming a counsellor.

Steven was enrolled at the University of South Wales (USW) onto their psychology with counselling course. He spent four years studying, including a foundation year. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

While he was studying he met his partner and they got engaged at their graduation in 2024. As they reached the end of their studies, and with four kids between them, they quickly realised their last student loan payment in April wasn’t enough to keep them going until they got a job.

Although his partner had been promised a job it was dependent on her graduating which left them scrambling about how they would fulfil mortgage payments and put food on the table.

Steven said: “We found that we graduated July 15, our kids finished school on July 18, and we were just broke. It went from being: ‘Should we take them to Aberystwyth or Carmarthen this summer?’ to: ‘How are we going to get through the first week of the summer holidays?’.

“That’s the kind of dire straights we got into. We were doing all the things we should do but the transition between part-time work and full-time education to having to go straight into full-time work is non-existent.”

Advertisement

As soon as graduation day passed Steven got straight on the phone to get universal credit because they hadn’t been able to apply for benefits before graduating. He was told there was a five-to-six-week waiting period before you get your first payment.

He said: “We got our first payment come through on August 28 and we had to survive for six weeks of summer with four kids and literally no money in the bank. We were living on borrowed time until we managed to get through to September.”

After grappling with whether to go to his local foodbank due to initial feelings of shame Steven went to a Trussell foodbank.

He said: “The foodbank wasn’t just a lifeline. We’d have had to send our kids to family and friends houses to get the children to eat without it.”

Steven said the foodbank were unbelievable and that after one visit their cupboards were filled for a week with some stuff lasting months.

“We were sitting there knowing we would be okay in the long term but we didn’t know how we’d survive for six weeks. Mortgage companies don’t take goodwill as a payment.

“I was the first person in my family to go to university so there was this expectation that I’d be given this magic piece of paper and I’d be driving around in a Bentley the next week. I still felt very proud at my graduation but when you have all this going on in the background it’s tough.”

Advertisement

Since his graduation USW has helped Steven start his own counselling business, Silence Speaks, where he does walking therapy, one-to-one therapy, and counselling for couples. Alongside this he also works with Trussell to help improve the experience of people accessing foodbanks.

He is keen to stress people don’t need to feel shame about going to a foodbank. He added: “These are some of the most passionate, empathetic, caring, considerate people you can get.”

Jo Harry, network lead for Wales at Trussell, is calling on the next Welsh Government to commit to tackling hunger and hardship.

“People coming to our foodbanks tell us they are sitting in the dark to save electricity and parents are skipping meals to feed their children.

“Hunger in Wales isn’t about food – it’s about people not being able to afford the essentials. Foodbanks can be a lifeline – but they’re not the long-term solution. They shouldn’t have to exist. Our social security system should, at the very least, cover the cost of essentials we all need to get by like food, bills, and toiletries.

“That’s why Trussell is calling on the next Welsh Government to commit to an essentials guarantee in Universal Credit, which would ensure support never falls below a minimum level and ends the need for foodbanks for good.”

Iran has warned it would launch a “heavy assault” on US assets in the Middle East if there are further attacks on ships, as President Donald Trump said he “expects to hear very soon” from the Iranians about a ceasefire agreement.

Trump says Washington is waiting for Tehran to respond to a proposal on ending the war.

“I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight,” the US president told reporters. “So we’ll see how that goes.”

With negotiations hanging in the balance, the US and Iran continue to engage in hostilities.

Meanwhile, the UK is redeploying the HMS Dragon to the Middle East ahead of a possible international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. As part of a proposed UK and French-led defensive mission, the warship will “pre-position” in the region, ready to contribute once hostilities between Iran and US-Israeli forces end.

The US Navy struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers on Friday accused of breaking the American blockade, after US and Iranian forces exchanged fire overnight on Thursday. Iran has accused the US of violating the ongoing ceasefire, which President Trump insists is still holding.

In a post on X earlier in the day, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of consistently opting for a “reckless military adventure” every time a “diplomatic solution is on the table”.

Saturday Night Live UK’s cold open featured Peter Serafinowicz in a guest cameo as Nigel Farage, spoofing the Reform UK leader as Prime Minister in 2046 following the party’s sweeping local election wins.

Shaun Of The Dead actor Peter Serafinowicz made a surprise appearance playing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as prime minister in an SNL UK sketch set in the year 2046.

The comedy programme kicked off on Saturday evening with a political skit depicting Mr Farage occupying Number 10, pulling pints at his desk while US President Donald Trump has seized control as the nation’s king.

The sketch took aim at the party’s landslide victories during this week’s local council and Scottish and Welsh elections. It began with ‘Mr Farage’ recording a personalised 120th birthday message for much-loved naturalist Sir David Attenborough, before Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch (Ayoade Bamgboye) appeared as his deputy.

READ MORE: Chilling footage shows the final moments of frail man, 93, before 28-hour torture ordealREAD MORE: WHO issues update to people of Tenerife where hantavirus-stricken ship is headed

“Big news day, Prime Minister. Thanks to our deportations, the population of London is finally down to single fingers,” she said, drawing uproarious laughter from Mr Farage.

Taking a swipe at the continuing tensions between the US and Iran, she went on: “One last thing, King Trump assures us he has almost negotiated a ceasefire over the Strait of Hormuz.”

Mr Farage responds: “Phew, for a minute there, it felt like we were on the brink of World War Four.”

The pair jest that since their parties joined forces, they have been “unstoppable”, drawing a comparison to the spreading hantavirus, referencing the outbreak that has dominated news coverage in recent days. After checking the weather forecast – which shows London engulfed in flames, satirising climate change – the pair head out for a stroll before Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner emerge from behind a bookshelf, which turns out to be a time machine.

The former deputy leader, portrayed by Celeste Dring, warns Sir Keir (George Fouracres) that unless he allows her to run the government, “this future will come to pass”, to which he replies he will “seize every moment” as Prime Minister.

When Mr Farage returns to the office accompanied by Mrs Badenoch, he queries who Sir Keir is, declaring himself the “big chungus” of the “great United Kingdom and the middle part of Wales”.

They warn they’ll have the Labour party leaders removed from the building by security guards, but Mrs Badenoch jokes: “We deported security.”

The sketch concluded with Al Nash emerging through the prime ministerial time machine portal dressed as Sir Winston Churchill to launch the show, leading into Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham’s opening monologue.

The award-winning actress made light of the “glamorous characters” she has portrayed throughout her career, before displaying pictures of less flattering parts such as her “sexy little turn as the shame nun” in hit TV series Game Of Thrones.

Advertisement

Throughout the episode, Waddingham took part in numerous sketches alongside the show’s inaugural cast, and was accompanied by Stargazing singer Myles Smith as the musical guest. The programme also marked Sir David’s landmark 100th birthday in its weekend news segment, with hosts Ania Magliano and Paddy Young sitting down to interview a rhino (Hammed Animashaun) for their take on the much-loved broadcaster.

The skit descended into mayhem when Sir David (Fouracres) burst onto the scene to grapple with the wild beast after it dared to criticise him.

The Sky Original production is filmed live in London, featuring a rotating guest host each week alongside the show’s regular cast, which comprises actor Hammed Animashaun and comedian Ania Magliano.

SNL UK returns to Sky and Now TV on May 16 for its series finale, with Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa taking the hosting duties, accompanied by musical guest Holly Humberstone.

Saturday Night Live UK is available to watch on Sky and Now TV on Saturdays at 10pm.

Having arrived an hour later than the champion to the venue because of Manchester traffic, Dubois made a brisk, business-like ringwalk.

Wardley, in his first appearance since being upgraded to world champion, soaked in the atmosphere with a leisurely entrance. Draped in an Ipswich Town Football Club robe, he was greeted by a warm reception from the 18,000-strong crowd.

With a combined record of 42 wins – 40 coming by knockout – there was palpable anticipation inside the arena, and Wardley stayed true to his promise to bring the action early as Dubois immediately hit the canvas after a flush right hand.

Dubois winked to his corner but looked shell-shocked. He wrestled Wardley to the ground as both fighters swung for the hills.

Many expected Dubois to impose himself early before Wardley could settle. Considered the better technical boxer, he regrouped and landed a right in the second.

Momentum swung again in the third when Wardley, who looked sharp with his overhand right and uppercuts, sent Dubois wobbling. Dubois took a knee and survived the count before firing back with a right hand that rocked Wardley.

The fighters and fans struggled to catch a breath as trainer Don Charles urged Dubois to lean on his jab, and he followed that instruction to take control of proceedings.

Dubois’ left eye was swollen, but Wardley’s face looked a mess as Dubois set up his attacks with a left jab before landing his biggest shots in the fourth and the sixth.

Wardley, who was working in recruitment a decade ago, showed an extraordinary chin and heart as he refused to go down despite his legs trembling and blood pouring down his face.

Most would likely have been withdrawn by their corner, but Wardley has built a reputation on dramatic comebacks. This time, however, it felt different.

The doctor inspected Wardley’s injuries before the eighth round and allowed him to continue.

By the ninth, the referee looked ready to intervene as Wardley continued to absorb heavy punishment and the contest became increasingly difficult to watch.

Doctors again allowed Wardley to continue before the 10th and when the stoppage finally arrived in the 11th, there was almost a sense of relief.

A sensational fight had reached its conclusion.

Warren – a veteran of 45 years in the sport – described it as “the best heavyweight fight” he has ever promoted.

University of York students contributed more than 90,000 hours of volunteering to the City during the 2024/25 academic year, with an estimated economic value of over £1.1 million.

More than 2,000 students took part in volunteering schemes, supporting refugees, providing tutoring to disadvantaged children, and running food donation programmes.

The impact was celebrated at the Student Community and Volunteering Awards, held at Merchant Taylors’ Hall on May 7 and attended by city leaders and University leaders.

Professor Kiran Trehan, pro-vice-chancellor for enterprise, partnerships and engagement, said: “At York, promoting the public good isn’t just an aspiration — it’s who we are.

“Tonight reminded us why.

“Hearing our students speak with such passion, purpose and conviction about the difference they’re making in the wider community was inspiring and humbling.

“The extraordinary hours they give, and the lives they touch in return, are a testament to a generation that doesn’t just imagine a better world, they go out and build it.”

From tackling health and education inequalities to addressing loneliness and homelessness, student-led schemes are making a difference across York.

One team received recognition for their work on the Patchwork Kitchen Project, supporting refugee and migrant women from Ukraine and Hong Kong.

Run by York City of Sanctuary, the project offered English language support through group cooking sessions, giving participants the opportunity to share recipes and stories.

It concluded with the creation of a community cookbook.

A spokesman for York City of Sanctuary said: “The students offered invaluable assistance to the ESOL teacher.

“Their input in developing the cookbook was essential: this project simply would not have got off the ground without their help.”

Another standout volunteer was third-year archaeology student Amy, who was nominated by the River Foss Society.

As part of York’s Sustainability Clinic, she contributed to a plant biodiversity study along the river.

The society described the work as a valuable starting point for more detailed future studies.

The All Should Eat project, led by students, was also praised for collecting 900 non-perishable food items to support a local community centre and donating to The Hygiene Bank York.

Professor Matt Matravers, chairman of the university’s community volunteering committee, said: “University of York students have an impressive and longstanding tradition of volunteering and participating in community-engaged activities, and we are delighted by the number of students who continue to give their time to support the wider community.

“The University is, as always, immensely proud of the contribution our students make to the City of York and beyond.”

Community Engaged Learning is now part of 12 academic modules, involving more than 700 students and 65 organisations across York and the wider region.

Peter Manfield, 73, just couldn’t bear the thought of losing his local village 100-year-old pub.

Advertisement

A man who didn’t want to lose his favourite pub re-mortgaged his home to buy it and stop it shutting down. Peter Manfield, 73, could not bear the thought of losing his village local pub, so took out the loan against his house to keep the boozer going.

At the heart of the community for 100 years, The Dog and Donkey in Devon, has lived through much history during World War Two and seen an array of different landlords.

But making the decision to buy it did not come lightly, Mr Manfield explained, as he felt he had to give it a go or risk always living with the regret of it becoming a block of flats.

Mr Manfield said he did not have enough money to buy the pub outright, so he re-mortgaged his house and did it up as much as he could.

Although Mr Manfield, a music teacher and musician, didn’t want to disclose his personal finances, public records show the pub was sold in 2023 for around £270,000.

Advertisement

He said: “We obviously didn’t have enough money to buy a pub so we re-mortgaged our house to buy the pub and technically do it up as much as we could.

“It’s a lovely pub and it’s 100 year old this year and it also saw the Second World War through. It’s a beautiful building and there’s nothing else in the village apart from the village hall.

“To lose its heart would’ve been catastrophic in my opinion and you’ve got nowhere to go.”

Mr Manfield added: “If we didn’t buy it and it was sold it could be made into a block of flats, who knows? And then what have you got?

“You haven’t got history, that history of 100 years is gone and there’s no bringing it back. Of all that history and all that people that have come in here, the old landlords and if you look outside there’s a plaque that it’s the original plaque. This is an original building and we intend to keep this as a traditional English pub that it’s quite unique.”

Mr Manfield, who moved to the village in 1997, explained that the landlord was struggling and he was going to have to get rid of the pub. He added that it could possibly be changed into a block of flats or even be knocked down.

“I am not a big drinker, I might come down once a fortnight or once in 10 days and particularly if I have been working or playing somewhere then I come back and have a drink on the way through just to relax,” Mr Manfield explained.

“It’s just a lovely old building and it is a bit like when it’s gone it’s gone and it was just unacceptable to let it go without a fight. That’s the reason why we borrowed the money on the house to keep the pub.”

He explained that he doesn’t feel like he is the owner of the pub, but instead the keeper.

“I am just keeping it to make sure that it survives,” he added.

Apart from wanting to save the pub for the community, he wanted its story to remain alive. He said: “The bar is very wide and the reason is during the Second World War, G.I.s used to come down for a drink and they used to jump over the bar and try to snog the barmaid.

“The landlord had the bar made wider so they couldn’t jump across. It’s got an original fireplace and an original tiled floor. We would lose all that and what for?”

He added: “There’s also skittle teams here that come in, we have all sorts of people that use the pub for meetings, dog walkers, and the ethos was to keep it a traditional pub.

“It’s not a restaurant that most have become with a pub, this is a pub that does pub food. It’s a traditional pub that in my opinion we had to keep and there was no other way I don’t think.”

Mr Manfield met the current landlord Mark Loftin when he was cutting his hair, and he told him he was thinking about buying a pub. The second time they met, Mr Loftin told him he wouldn’t mind giving it a go as a landlord.

Mr Manfield said: “He’s never run a pub before which is brilliant in many ways before he’s got no baggage and I’d never owned a pub. Without the landlord this pub wouldn’t be here – very lucky to have found him.”

Mr Loftin took the lease over on February 1 2024. He added: “This was an amazing opportunity and something to be involved with, especially with Pete.

“Our values and belief systems basically align and that’s what’s important – wanting to keep the pub, keeping it traditional, not turning it into a gastro pub and that’s what we are doing.”

The community response has been positive, explained Mr Manfield, who added that they have been lucky that their pub is thriving.

He said: “Community response has been very good. We are extremely lucky in this pub to have an amazing landlord and his family is just wonderful.

“It’s a traditional English pub doing traditional English things. We have been very lucky. Many pubs are struggling and closing – this pub is surviving.”

Locals have taken to social media to thank Mr Manfield for buying the pub. One said: “Just moved into Knowle Village, great to have a friendly convenient Local!”

A second said: “Pete has always been a legend”. A third added: “Wishing you good luck in your new venture.” Another said: “It’s a great pub with friendly staff. Never had a bad meal here and plenty of it. Nice pub garden too.”

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

He added: “Spain’s authorities have prepared a careful, step-by-step plan: passengers will be ferried ashore at the industrial port of Granadilla, far from residential areas, in sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their home countries.”

Rory McIlroy faded out of contention as Alex Fitzpatrick grabbed the third-round lead at the Truist Championship in North Carolina.

McIlroy, playing his first tournament since winning a second Masters title, started the day four shots off the lead.

But after opening his third round with a birdie, his hopes of a fifth success in the event evaporated in a round which included six bogeys – four of them in a row from the turn.

He clawed one shot back at the par five 15th, but a 75 left him at one-under-par and 13 shots off the pace.

Fitzpatrick took a one-shot lead on 14-under-par over Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan after both shot 64.

The Englishman, chasing a second PGA Tour victory after securing his card with a win at the Zurich Classic alongside brother and 2022 US Open champion Matt, who is a stroke behind McIlroy after a 69.

Alex Fitzpatrick made five birdies on his front none, adding another on the 12th and two more either side of his only dropped shot on the 16th.

“I think having my brother around has been super helpful,” he said.

“He’s been and done everything that I want to do in the game, whether that’s Ryder Cup and win majors.

“Having him, kind of, being around and me being there for all of that, I felt like I got a really good sense of what it takes and what the atmosphere is like.”

American Cameron Young was two off the pace after a bogey at the last marred a round of 63, two ahead of Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard and overnight leader Sungjae Im.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood fell into a group five strokes off the pace after a round of 71.

The ceasefire in the Iran war abruptly faced its most perilous moment Monday after the United States began trying to open the Strait of Hormuz to allow hundreds of stranded commercial ships sail out.

The United Arab Emirates said it came under attack for the first time since the early April ceasefire, and a British military monitor said two cargo vessels were ablaze off the UAE. There had been warning signs around the U.S. military-aided effort to guide ships through the strait, as Iran called it a violation of the fragile, three-week ceasefire.

Few ships had appeared to take advantage of “Project Freedom,” announced Sunday by President Donald Trump, though the U.S. said two U.S.-flagged merchant ships safely transited with its help.

Caution, even skepticism, is growing among shippers, and markets, over the lack of details from Washington. Who would risk their crew and cargo to possible Iranian fire?

Here’s what to know.

U.S. appears to be going it alone

Iran’s grip on the crucial waterway has left hundreds of commercial ships and tens of thousands of sailors stuck since the war broke out over two months ago. The U.S. military says 87 countries are represented among the vessels.

Backed up in the strait are weeks’ worth of supplies of globally needed oil, gas, fertilizer and other goods. This has been Iran’s strategic advantage in the war, one that has pinched economies and dimmed the outlook for the Republican president’s party in this year’s midterm U.S. elections.

Oil prices rose Monday as uncertainty continued around the strait and the U.S. effort, which Trump has described as a humanitarian one to help countries that have been “neutral and innocent” in the war.

While countries in Europe and elsewhere have fretted over the strait and have been urged by Trump to help solve the issue, it was not immediately clear whether any other nation was involved Monday.

The U.S. military, which has been blockading Iranian ports for weeks, said the initiative involves guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members but did not say how they are deployed.

Trump warned that interference in the effort “will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”

The U.S. military on Monday said it sank six small Iranian boats that were targeting civilian vessels, and said Iran launched missiles and drones at ships the U.S. was protecting.

Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads U.S. Central Command, said Iran initiated the “aggressive behavior.” He declined to say whether the ceasefire was over.

Iran calls the effort part of Trump’s ‘delirium’

Iran effectively closed the strait by attacking some ships over the past two months, and told others not affiliated with the U.S. or Israel that they could pass if they paid a toll.

Iran’s military command on Monday said ships still must coordinate with Tehran to transit the strait and warned that “any foreign military force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” the state broadcaster reported.

Iranian news agencies claimed that Iran struck a U.S. vessel southeast of the strait, accusing it of violating “maritime security and navigation norms.” The U.S. military denied it.

Concerns remain about Iranian mines in the waterway. Cooper said the U.S. military had cleared a pathway in the strait, and set up a “defensive umbrella” that includes helicopters and fighter planes to protect freighters leaving it.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency has called Trump’s plan to reopen the strait part of his “delirium.”

Wary shippers say security situation is unchanged

The threat level around the strait remains critical, according to the U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center, even as it issued an advisory on the new U.S. effort.

The head of security for the Baltic and International Maritime Council, a leading shipping trade group, said no formal guidance or details about the effort had been issued to the industry.

Without Iran’s consent for safe transit, “it is currently not clear whether the Iranian threat to ships can be degraded or suppressed,” Jakob Larsen, BIMCO’s chief safety and security officer said in a statement.

Larsen questioned whether the U.S. effort is sustainable in the long run or is envisioned as a limited operation, and said there is a “risk of hostilities breaking out again” if it goes ahead.

“There’s not much clarity at this point,” United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told journalists.

The Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying the U.S. has set up an “enhanced security area.” It warned that passing close to usual routes “should be considered extremely hazardous due to the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.”

The center urged mariners to coordinate closely with Omani authorities “due to anticipated high traffic volume” — a forecast that on Monday seemed unlikely to play out.

___

Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Fatma Khaled in Cairo, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, contributed to this report.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Tuesday’s primary in Ohio set up two marquee matchups in November — a U.S. Senate race that will help determine control of the chamber and a governor’s race in which Democrats see their best chance of victory in two decades.

Another stunningly expensive Senate race — the state’s third in four years — is expected as Republicans try to hold their majority during a difficult midterm cycle. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown easily defeated a challenger in the Democratic primary and will now attempt to unseat Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

Democrats are counting on Brown’s previous popularity with voters to flip the seat, even as the Senate Leadership Fund — a top GOP super PAC — has pledged $79 million to defend Husted.

Brown, who served three Senate terms before losing a bitter reelection bid in 2024, pledged at his victory party to fight for working-class Ohioans.

“No one in the Senate is standing up to these corporations who raise your prices and who game the system,” Brown said as attendees booed. He continued, “Ohioans don’t have anyone fighting for you, until November.”

Husted, who did not hold an election night party, was unopposed in his primary, a special election to fill the remainder of the six-year Senate term that Vice President JD Vance won in 2022.

In a statement earlier in the day, Husted said Brown has no room to talk about failures in Washington.

“Over the next six months, Ohioans will hear a lot from Sherrod Brown about his so-called solutions,” Husted said. “The truth is, after 32 years in Washington, he created the very problems he now blames others for. His record is indefensible.”

In the governor’s race, biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy clinched the Republican nomination over internet personality Casey Putsch to face Dr. Amy Acton, the COVID-era health director, this fall. Acton was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Both candidates for governor are widely known across the state

A newcomer to state politics, Ramaswamy aggressively positioned himself for the job early with the help of an endorsement from President Donald Trump — who praised him on social media Tuesday as “Young, Strong, and Smart!”

“We have an historic opportunity to lead Ohio to be the top state in the country — to raise a young family, to give our kids a world-class education and to be the state where we will revive this quaint idea that we call the American Dream,” Ramaswamy told supporters in Columbus.

Acton, speaking at her victory party, said she is running because people are struggling, working harder than ever and still not getting ahead.

“I refuse to look the other way,” she said.

Trump’s endorsement continues to carry weight in Ohio, which favored him three times for president, but Ramaswamy could face headwinds amid the president’s lagging popularity over the war in Iran and the rising cost of living.

Acton’s high public profile and robust early fundraising have made Democrats hopeful of winning back the governor’s office for the first time since 2006.

Ramaswamy, a 2024 GOP primary presidential candidate, swept onto the state’s political scene early last year as a mad shuffle left an opening at the top of Republicans’ statewide ticket. Then-Sen. Vance was ascending to the vice presidency and Husted — then the front-running candidate for governor — was being appointed to replace him in Washington.

With his national profile, tech industry connections and proximity to Trump, he quickly cleared a prospective field that included the sitting state attorney general, state treasurer and lieutenant governor.

National economy, COVID-19 pandemic set early tone for governor’s race

But Democrats saw opportunity with the open governors seat, even as the state, a former bellwether, has tipped convincingly toward Republicans during the Trump era.

Acton became a household name across Ohio in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as she stood alongside Republican Gov. Mike DeWine during daily coronavirus broadcasts. Her comforting presence during the crisis made her a beloved figure with many Ohioans.

Her campaign also has highlighted her rough childhood, overcoming poverty, homelessness and sexual abuse while growing up in Youngstown.

“I just think she’s real,” said Aaron Weiner, a Cincinnati real estate agent who voted for Acton. “She has had struggles, so I think she can empathize with people who are struggling to get ahead.”

But the administration’s aggressive pandemic actions — including shuttering businesses, closing schools and canceling an election — also earned Acton plenty of enemies and made her the occasional target of people upset about the policies, with some armed protesters showing up outside her home.

Ramaswamy’s campaign sought to capitalize on lingering anger over the restrictions with attacks on Acton’s role early in the crisis, but he also has connections to the government’s response. Ramaswamy was advising the lieutenant governor at the time — Husted — on virus-related economic issues and founded a company that profited off its role developing vaccines.

Cincinnati voter Paul Mussman, who backed Ramaswamy, said he considers it an asset that he is a relative newcomer to politics.

Ramaswamy would look at issues “in a fresh way and not based on what their party affiliation is,” Mussman said.

Republicans see some Democratic-held House seats as vulnerable

In the wake of a new round of redistricting that slightly favored Republicans, the state also had numerous partisan congressional primaries.

The most heated GOP primary was in the Toledo area’s 9th District for the chance to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress.

Former state Rep. Derek Merrin, whom Kaptur defeated by less than a percentage point in 2024, bested an Air National Guard veteran, a healthcare industry worker, a sitting state representative and the former deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Madison Sheahan.

In Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman’s Cincinnati-area 1st Congressional District, which his party considers a “must-hold,” the three-way Republican primary went to Eric Conroy, a CIA and Air Force veteran who was endorsed by Trump, Vance and Moreno.

Landsman beat back a primary challenge of his own Tuesday from Damon Lynch IV, the grandson of a prominent civil rights leader. Lynch had criticized Landsman for his initial vote against a war powers resolution on the war in Iran, which Landsman later followed up with a favorable vote.

In the Akron area’s 13th District, Republican Carey Coleman defeated four others for the opportunity to face Democratic U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes.

Democrats think new House maps give them a shot to regain seats

As a Trump-backed national effort to remake congressional maps in Republicans’ favor was underway, Ohio Democrats took a could-have-been-worse approach and passed the map they were given unanimously.

Now party candidates crowded congressional primaries across the state for the chance to take on sitting Republican representatives, who hold 10 of Ohio’s 15 seats.

The newly redrawn 7th District in the Cleveland area attracted five Democrats hoping to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller, a former senior Trump adviser, in November. Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker and city councilman endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, emerged as the winner in a race that also included former Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, the Democratic nominee for governor in 2014.

In northeast Ohio’s 14th District, PR professional and former Euclid City Council member Maria Jukic won the Democratic primary over former Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill and others and will face Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce.

___

Associated Press writer Dylan Lovan in Cincinnati contributed.