Ramaswamy Owns Up to Attack Ad Featuring Rival's Mother as Backlash Mounts

Ramaswamy Owns Up to Attack Ad Featuring Rival's Mother as Backlash Mounts

Ohio's governor's race turned sharply personal this week after Republican Vivek Ramaswamy acknowledged his campaign produced an ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Amy Acton. In the one-minute spot, Donna Arthur calls her daughter a "liar," accuses her of embellishing claims of childhood abuse, and urges Ohioans not to elect her. "I love my daughter, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past," Arthur says in the ad. Ramaswamy has refused to pull the spot and is pouring $4 million into airing it statewide, drawing condemnation from Democrats and fellow Republicans alike even as Vice President JD Vance rose to his defense. Ramaswamy says Acton has refused to debate and ducked questions while spreading "defamatory, disparaging lies" about him and his family.

Vance Defends the Ad as Fellow Republicans Break Ranks

Democrats from Senate nominee Sherrod Brown — who called the video "disgusting" — to down-ballot candidates demanded the ad come down. Several Ohio Republicans publicly criticized it as well. Vance, campaigning in Ohio, told critics to "stop whining" and said he cared about winning the governor's and Senate seats. When the video first circulated Monday night, it carried no standard political disclaimer and did not appear as a paid ad on the AdImpact tracking service; Ramaswamy's campaign initially declined to confirm its involvement before Ramaswamy admitted Tuesday, "It is an ad from our campaign." He said Arthur was not paid to participate and that he has never met her.

A Family's Trauma Dragged Into the Race

Acton says she was sexually abused at age 12 by her stepfather, who faced criminal charges; her brother Philip Stearns said in a statement that after the arrest, when the children were removed from custody, their birth mother "stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died." Acton says she has not seen her mother since 1978. "It's awful to see her this way," Acton told WOSU Public Media, accusing Ramaswamy of taking advantage of someone "who's clearly not well." Acton's campaign released a counter-ad featuring Stearns saying, "Shame on Vivek." Ramaswamy spokeswoman Connie Luck countered that Acton is "a serial fabulist" and that voters deserve warnings from people who know her best, including "her own mother."

Heckled at a Town Hall, Trailing in the Polls

Ramaswamy was heckled Tuesday evening at a Columbus-area town hall by an audience member shouting about the ad; the man was escorted out. Former presidential rival Nikki Haley called Ramaswamy "a bad guy," and Meghan McCain called the ad "dastardly," saying it "never should have been created." A member of term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine's cabinet, Lydia Mihalik, said the ad crossed a line. Polls show Acton narrowly ahead, by about 3.7 points in the RealClearPolitics average, in what CNN calls one of the country's most competitive governor's races.

Thirteen Days Out: No Debate, Ad Blitz Continues

Acton has refused to debate Ramaswamy, saying she will not platform a "serial liar." Republicans launch a statewide bus tour Friday. With the ad on air since Monday and $4 million more committed, the spot will blanket Ohio through Election Day. Whether the gamble pays off will be settled at the ballot box in under two weeks.