Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed Tuesday evening that his campaign produced a controversial attack ad targeting Democratic opponent Amy Acton.
The one-minute ad features Acton’s biological mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a “liar” and insinuating she suffers from mental health issues.
Ramaswamy’s campaign acknowledged the spot began circulating on social media Monday night, drawing swift backlash from Democrats and some Republicans alike.
A campaign spokesperson confirmed to the Associated Press that Acton’s mother was not paid to appear in the ad, which will air both online and on television.
Axios reported that Ramaswamy’s campaign is spending $4 million to air the spot statewide, doubling down on the deeply personal attack just weeks before Election Day.
Arthur has been estranged from her daughter following allegations of sexual abuse that Acton has publicly discussed throughout her life and political career.
Acton has disclosed that she experienced sexual abuse and neglect during childhood, and her stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her when she was 12 years old, according to court documents.
“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse,” Acton told Spectrum News on Tuesday.
Acton accused Ramaswamy of exhibiting a “lifelong pattern” of lobbing personal attacks at political opponents, pointing to similar attacks he levied toward Nikki Haley’s daughter during a GOP debate in the 2016 presidential election.
Her brother, Philip Stearns, appeared in a response ad condemning Ramaswamy directly and forcefully for the move against his sister.
“Shame on Vivek,” Stearns said. “It’s the contempt he has for Amy. It’s the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead.”
A Ramaswamy campaign spokesperson pushed back against criticism, saying: “We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth.”
The spokesperson added that voters deserved to be aware of those problems “before deciding who to entrust as governor,” framing the ad as a matter of public interest rather than personal attack.
Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown called on Republican rival Sen. Jon Husted to publicly denounce the advertisement and distance himself from its contents.
“The ad released by Vivek Ramaswamy is disgusting. Everyone, including Jon Husted, should be willing to condemn this ad,” Brown wrote in a post on X Tuesday afternoon.
