Ohio Senate candidate dismisses aide after extremist-linked social media posts surface

In a Senate race that could decide control of the chamber, Ohio Republican Jon Husted removed Stephen Woytek from his role as political director after a media report highlighted troubling social-media activity. The investigation found that Woytek’s Facebook followed a group that stages Waffen-SS reenactments, and a Flickr image appeared to depict him in an SS uniform during his teens. Additionally, a public playlist he curated featured songs celebrating Rhodesia, a former white-minority regime often admired by extremist groups.

Husted’s spokesperson said the aide’s posts reflected a lack of judgment and that the senator demanded higher standards from his staff. Woytek, who serves as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and graduated from The Citadel, asserted he rejects Nazi ideology and participates in reenactments for educational purposes. The campaign announced the dismissal as an immediate decision upon learning of the posts.