California Conservative Group Linked to Partisan ‘Pink-Slime’ Site Boosting Ramaswamy in Ohio

A digital news platform presenting itself as a local Ohio outlet is the latest example of a growing trend in partisan media, with deep financial ties to a prominent Republican donor organization in Southern California. The Buckeye Bulletin, which claims to provide “reliable journalism” for Ohioans, has been identified as a vehicle for boosting the gubernatorial campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy while attacking his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.

While the Buckeye Bulletin features no staff list, no bylines, and no commercial advertisements, its digital footprint points directly to the Lincoln Media Foundation. The nonprofit foundation is an affiliate of the Orange County-based Lincoln Club, California’s oldest and largest conservative donor group. Meta advertising data confirms that the foundation manages the Facebook and Instagram accounts for the Bulletin, which launched in March and has since engaged in a steady campaign of pro-Ramaswamy messaging.

The operation is a classic example of what political scientists call “pink-slime” journalism—partisan websites that adopt the appearance of traditional local news to bypass voter skepticism of traditional political ads. Experts note that these sites often use a mix of legitimate local news clips and AI-generated content to create a “veneer” of authenticity. For the Buckeye Bulletin, this involves peppering political attack videos with non-political reels, such as reports on a chemical explosion in Toledo, which garner significantly less engagement than the site’s curated political content.

At the center of the site’s current activity is a controversial advertisement released by the Ramaswamy campaign featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur. In the video, Arthur labels her daughter a liar and urges voters to reject her candidacy. However, the Buckeye Bulletin’s promotion of the ad omits a critical piece of family history: Arthur lost custody of her children in the late 1970s after her husband was indicted for the rape of Acton, who was a child at the time. Arthur and her husband fled to Pennsylvania following the 1978 indictment; he died in 2004 without ever returning to Ohio to face the charges.

The omission has sparked intense debate within the Republican party. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has condemned the ad’s tactics, while others, including former President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have defended the campaign’s approach. On the Buckeye Bulletin’s social media pages, the content has proven highly effective at driving engagement. A post highlighting Acton’s refusal to debate—labeled with the claim that she says her mother is lying—received over 4,800 likes and 500 shares, a stark contrast to the site’s non-political posts which often receive zero shares.

The Lincoln Media Foundation, which manages the accounts, has seen a massive surge in funding recently. IRS records show the nonprofit’s revenue jumped from approximately $415,000 in 2021 to $3.88 million in 2024. While the foundation states it aims to reach communities excluded from the national conversation, its website does not publicly disclose the specific news outlets it funds or manages. This is not the first instance of the group being linked to such tactics; previous reports identified at least seven other outlets targeting battleground states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin during the 2024 presidential cycle.

Researchers suggest that the rise of artificial intelligence has lowered the barrier to entry for these operations. AI tools can now scrape content, write articles with a professional tone, and automate social media posts, eliminating the need for a paid writing staff. Experts at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue noted that the Buckeye Bulletin’s “About Us” page exhibits clear markers of AI generation, including vague claims about journalistic standards and polished but highly repetitive phrasing.

Georgia Kernell, an associate professor at UCLA, noted that these sites are strategically valuable because voters are increasingly weary of traditional campaign ads. By presenting information as well-researched news, partisan groups can capture attention that a standard commercial would lose. This trend is not exclusive to one side of the aisle; researchers have identified similar networks serving Democratic interests, such as the Morning Mirror site used during recent down-ballot races.

Ultimately, the growth of pink-slime media presents a significant challenge to public trust. As independent local newspapers continue to decline, these well-funded partisan sites fill the vacuum, often making it difficult for the average reader to distinguish between community reporting and a sophisticated political operation funded from thousands of miles away.