Senator Jon Husted, Republican of Ohio, fired his political director, Stephen B. Woytek, 25, on Friday after learning he posted a photo of Nazi SS soldiers as his Facebook profile picture in 2018. Campaign spokeswoman Amy Natoce said the social media activity showed a "complete lack" of judgment and a "disregard for its impact on others." The Washington Post first reported the photo and noted Woytek recently added songs celebrating Rhodesia, a former white-minority-ruled African colony, to a public Spotify playlist.

The New York Times has not independently confirmed that activity. Woytek, a Citadel graduate and U.S. Army lieutenant, told The Post he participates in historical re-enactments and should have "exercised better judgment," rejecting "the racist and antisemitic ideology the SS and Nazi Germany represented." His accounts appeared private or deleted by Saturday. Natoce noted Woytek also re-enacts Civil War battles as a Union soldier but declined to discuss the campaign's vetting process.

Husted, appointed in early 2025 to fill Vice President JD Vance's Senate term, faces former Senator Sherrod Brown in a competitive race. Brown's spokeswoman Lauren Chou criticized Husted, saying "Ohioans deserve a leader who reflects their values.".