Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton delivered a personal rebuke of Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy at a Cleveland rally headlined by former President Barack Obama on Saturday, accusing her opponent of exploiting her traumatic childhood through a campaign advertisement featuring her estranged mother. The former president was in Cleveland on Saturday to campaign for Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm election. Acton and Ramaswamy are running to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
Acton later said that her opponent is "not just out of touch, you are out for yourself,” adding that “you are a danger to my state.” She also accused Ramaswamy of sinking to a new low by using the family dispute in the campaign, before portraying kindness and compassion as strengths rather than vulnerabilities. It’s a fierce, fierce commitment to justice.” The 60-second advertisement features Acton’s estranged birth mother, Donna Arthur, disputing her daughter’s account of her upbringing. Arthur calls Acton a “liar,” says she has “a serious problem” and tells viewers her daughter “needs help.” She also disputes Acton’s account of having lived in a tent as a child.
Acton and Arthur have been estranged for decades. According to police and court records obtained by the , Arthur lost custody of her children after her husband, Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged with raping Acton when she was 12. He pleaded not guilty, and the case did not go to trial after he left the area while free on bond.
Court-record-based reporting and Acton's brother Philip Stearns have supported key elements of Acton’s account of an unstable childhood marked by abuse, neglect and periods of homelessness. The ad initially circulated online without a sponsorship disclosure identifying its source. The AP reported that such a disclosure would be required for the advertisement to air on television.
Vivek wants the election to focus on how to solve these problems, but unfortunately Amy Acton has repeatedly resorted to lying about Vivek and his family, lying about her own record, and then hiding from debates and hiding from voters by barring cameras at her own events," Ramaswamy's campaign said in the statement issued earlier this week. The bitter dispute has introduced an intensely personal element into the closing stretch of Ohio’s gubernatorial race and has prompted criticism of Ramaswamy from prominent members of his own party. Ramaswamy’s campaign has committed $4 million to promote the advertisement on television and online ahead of Election Day.
His campaign has said Acton’s mother was not paid to appear in the spot. The advertisement has generated bipartisan criticism. By Friday, all five living former full-term Ohio governors, including three Republicans and two Democrats, had spoken out against it.
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