Ramaswamy's Ad Starring Acton's Estranged Mother Splits Republicans as Records Back Her Account

Ramaswamy's Ad Starring Acton's Estranged Mother Splits Republicans as Records Back Her Account

A Mother Calls Her Daughter a Liar on Camera

The Ohio governor's race has been jolted by one of the ugliest attack ads of the cycle: a spot featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged birth mother of Democratic nominee Amy Acton, calling her daughter "a liar" who "needs help" and accusing her of fabricating her childhood, including the claim that she once lived in a tent. The ad first circulated on social media backed by V-PAC, the primary super PAC supporting Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Days later Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed it had produced the spot and announced it would spend $4 million promoting it on television and streaming platforms.

Ramaswamy Owns the Ad, Says It Is About Lying

Speaking at campaign stops in northeast Ohio on Friday, October 23, Ramaswamy insisted the ad had nothing to do with childhood abuse. "The irony is they're lying about an ad that is about lying," he said. "They're changing the subject because they don't want to answer for their own failures." He had acknowledged earlier in the week that his campaign made the ad. Acton fired back, calling the spot "horrible and hideous," "despicable," and "an exploitative thing to do," and said she would not normalize someone dismissing her childhood as mere complaining.

Police and Court Files Contradict the Ad's Claims

Fact-checkers who pulled the underlying records say the documents side with Acton. According to police and court documents obtained by the Associated Press, Cledith Arthur, the husband of Acton's mother and Acton's stepfather, was arrested and charged in July 1978 with raping his then-12-year-old stepdaughter, after Acton's biological father reported him to authorities. Snopes obtained the Mahoning County, Ohio court files and concluded Acton has described her abusive childhood accurately; FactCheck.org reached the same conclusion. Acton has had no contact with her mother since she was removed from her custody in 1978. Her younger brother, Philip Stearns, backed her account in a campaign statement, saying their birth mother stayed married to Acton's rapist until he died. The ad also cites a 1994 medical license application in which Acton disclosed treatment for "emotional or mental illness, drug addiction or abuse, or an alcohol problem" to insinuate mental health problems.

Republicans Split: Governor Says Pull It, Trump Says Run It

The backlash has crossed party lines. Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine condemned the spot and demanded it be taken down, saying "it's wrong to run this ad" and invoking his own past prosecuting rape cases to urge Americans to speak out for victims. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and other national Republicans joined the criticism, and former Representative Jim Renacci publicly urged Ramaswamy to change course. President Donald Trump, by contrast, pressed Ramaswamy to keep running the ad, praising Arthur as a smart woman who felt obligated to speak out and repeating her claim that her daughter lied. Vice President JD Vance praised Ramaswamy's "audacity" and lashed critics, saying he was "disgusted" at Republicans "whining" about the spot. On the Democratic side, Senate candidate Sherrod Brown called the ad "disgusting," while Republican Senator Jon Husted distanced himself, saying he "would not have run that ad."

A Tied Race Enters Its Final Two Weeks

Polling shows a competitive contest. A BGSU/YouGov survey of 1,000 likely Ohio voters conducted September 29 to October 9 put Acton ahead 50% to 44%, with a margin of error of 3.95 points. A VoteHub/Verasight poll released October 22 had Acton up just 46% to 45%, inside its 4.2-point margin of error. A Marist poll released October 20 showed Acton leading 50% to 43%, while an ActiVote poll from October 19 gave Ramaswamy a 51.4% to 48.6% edge among 400 likely voters. Money favors Ramaswamy, who has raised $38.7 million to Acton's $31.9 million. With Election Day about two weeks away, the records have spoken on the facts; voters will decide what the ad says about the man who ran it.