Ramaswamy confirms Ohio campaign ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed on Tuesday, October 20, that his campaign made an Ohio governor’s race ad featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton. Arthur calls her daughter a liar in the video, drawing a response from Acton’s family over the ad’s use of a deeply personal dispute.

The ad began circulating on social media Monday evening without identifying who paid for or authorized it, CBS News reported. Ramaswamy later told reporters it was ‘an ad from our campaign,’ according to CBS, which attributed his remarks to The Columbus Dispatch. The BBC also reported his confirmation and said he pledged $4 million to air the ad further.

Acton’s brother condemns the ad

CBS reported that court records provided by Acton’s campaign show Cledith Arthur was charged in 1978 with raping Acton when she was a child and entered a not guilty plea. The records were described by CBS; the underlying court documents were not independently examined for this article. The BBC reported that Acton’s campaign released a response video Tuesday featuring Stearns recounting childhood abuse and criticizing Ramaswamy.

Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy, told CBS: ‘We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother.’ She also accused Acton of being untruthful. Arthur says in the campaign spot that Acton ‘lies about her past,’ according to CBS. Those claims are campaign accusations, and the ad does not establish their truth.

Reaction in the Ohio governor’s race

The BBC reported criticism from politicians in both parties. Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized Ramaswamy, while Democratic governors Kathy Hochul and JB Pritzker denounced the ad. Asked by the BBC whether it was appropriate, Vice-President JD Vance declined to say, calling it ‘not really my concern.’

The dispute comes in the final two weeks of the campaign. An NBC News segment described Acton condemning the ad and said the contest between her and Ramaswamy had become close. The reaction to the video and Ramaswamy’s promised spending put the family dispute into the race’s closing stretch; neither establishes how voters will respond.