Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy has pulled an attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Dr. Amy Acton, following days of severe bipartisan criticism across Ohio, his campaign confirmed Thursday.
The commercial highlighted Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, who labeled her daughter a liar and warned Ohioans against casting their ballots for her. But the spot sparked immediate fury after details of the family’s history were highlighted: Arthur lost custody of her daughter in 1978 when Arthur’s second husband was indicted on charges of raping Acton when she was a young child.
Bipartisan backlash and campaign defense
Ramaswamy maintained on Thursday that the commercial simply concluded its scheduled broadcasting cycle. Speaking to reporters at an appearance in Vandalia, Ohio, the Republican businessman said the broadcast had finished and noted that his operation had transitioned to different campaign messages.
“It ran to completion, and we’ve put up four other ads,” Ramaswamy said, according to the Columbus Dispatch. He also argued that he preferred to focus the remainder of the race on governance issues, adding, “what I will say is that for all of the discussion around 30-second ads, I would love, even for this final close, for this campaign to really be about policy.”
Ramaswamy had initially pledged four million dollars to broadcast the commercial across Ohio media markets. The spot originally debuted as a full one-minute segment before the campaign trimmed it down to 30 seconds, removing a portion where Arthur alleged Acton lied about residing in a tent. Historical court files documented that Arthur’s husband was residing in a tent when police arrested him on rape charges, The Guardian reported.
The decision to put Arthur on television drew sharp pushback across party lines. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited and has endorsed Ramaswamy, publicly rebuked the tactic, describing the commercial as “deeply disturbing” and demanding that it be removed, WTVG reported. Former President Donald Trump, however, stood by the spot during an appearance alongside Ramaswamy on Wednesday.
Acton campaign responds
Acton has stated that she has not seen or spoken to her mother since she was 12 years old, when authorities stepped in to remove her from the household nearly five decades ago. Addressing voters in Youngstown earlier in the week, Acton expressed shock and sadness over the personal attack.
“I’m learning things even about my childhood right now that I did not know,” Acton said, as reported by NBC News. “I think it is despicable. … I’m sure someday I’ll unpack everything that I’m learning here. But I’m just grateful to Ohioans and everyone, really so much support and love that we’ve received.”
At a Thursday campaign gathering, Acton spoke openly about the severe neglect and mistreatment she survived while growing up, accusing her opponent of seeking political gain from childhood trauma. Acton’s campaign also launched a rebuttal advertisement condemning Ramaswamy for turning sexual abuse into an election strategy.
“Vivek Ramaswamy should never have run his despicable ad in the first place, and it’s totally unsurprising that he took it off the air in the most cowardly way possible, without even the hint of an apology to Dr. Acton, her family, or to the people of Ohio,” Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock said in a statement.
With only days remaining before voters head to the polls on Tuesday, it remains uncertain whether the fierce backlash over the ad will reshape voter turnout in the high-stakes governor’s race.
