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Vivek Ramaswamy Defends Ad Featuring Amy Acton’s Mother as Ohio Bus Tour Divides Republicans
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Ramaswamy aired an ad featuring Acton’s mother accusing Acton of lying. The ad drew bipartisan criticism and DeWine urged pulling it.
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Ramaswamy’s Ad Sparks Split
Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy defended his campaign’s ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton as he embarked on a statewide bus tour across Ohio on Friday.
Ramaswamy told a crowd in suburban Cleveland, “The irony is they’re lying about an ad that is about lying,” while he argued the spot had nothing to do with childhood abuse.
The 60-second advertisement features Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, calling Acton “a liar” and saying she “needs help” due to “a serious problem” being honest about her past.
Acton said she has not seen her mother since 1978, and the ad controversy has widened internal Republican divisions as every living full-term governor of Ohio had spoken out against it by Friday.
President Donald Trump urged Ramaswamy to keep airing the ad and recalled telling him, “You’ve got to ride with it,” during a campaign rally in Iowa on Thursday.
Trump, Vance, DeWine Clash
President Donald Trump continued defending the ad as he left the White House Friday morning, saying, “It’s a mother speaking badly against Amy Acton. And, to me, it’s very easy.”
Trump dismissed questions about the specific allegations of Acton’s sexual abuse and insisted the ad has “nothing to do” with her stepfather, who was criminally charged and pleaded not guilty, according to court records and an interview given by Acton’s mother.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine condemned the ad as “deeply, deeply troubling” and urged Ramaswamy’s campaign to cease airing it, while Vice President JD Vance told Republicans to “stop whining” and focus on winning the elections.
Acton’s campaign responded by releasing a statement and a response ad featuring her brother, Phil Stearns, who said, “She continued to receive that abuse because she knew she had to protect me.”
Vivek Ramaswamy refused to withdraw the ad, and Al Jazeera reported that his campaign confirmed it was behind the advertisement and announced plans to spend $4m promoting it.
Backfire and Forecast Shift
Political forecasters shifted their outlook after Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed it will spend $4 million to air the controversial ad, with the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball moving the race between Acton and Ramaswamy from a toss-up to “lean Democrat.”
Sabato’s editors, Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman, wrote that “Democrats need a lot to go right in order to win in Ohio,” but they added that “a lot appears to be going right.”
Ramaswamy’s campaign rebuffed calls to take the ad down, and the Columbus Dispatch reported that he said the ad had nothing to do with abuse and that the media was covering up for Acton.
Acton condemned the use of her family history, telling Spectrum News, “I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about,” and she also criticized the ad as “horrible and hideous” during a campaign event on Wednesday.
The Guardian said Ramaswamy argued, “We ran an ad about lying,” and the outlet also described court records and an arrest warrant that suggested Acton’s account of her upbringing was consistent with the documents.