An attack advertisement by Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy targeting his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, has sparked criticism within his own party, less than two weeks before November 3 midterm elections in the United States. The ad features Acton’s estranged mother accusing Acton of being a liar. Ramaswamy has refused to withdraw the ad, even as senior Republicans have called for its removal.
So what does the ad show, why has it sparked controversy and could it affect Ohio’s governor’s race? The ad, which began circulating online on Monday, features Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her childhood and suggesting she has a mental illness. She lies about her past,” Arthur said in the video.
Arthur also disputed Acton’s account of experiencing homelessness and living in a tent as a child as she urged Ohioans not to vote for her daughter. However, the ad does not mention that the two have been estranged since 1978 when Acton was 12 and was removed from her mother’s custody after her stepfather was charged with raping her. Her stepfather pleaded not guilty but failed to appear in court and was never tried.
Acton and her brother have publicly described the abuse they experienced as children. Court records and news reports from the time support key elements of Acton’s account of her childhood. FactCheck.org also found records linking her stepfather to the campground where Acton said her family lived in a tent, contradicting Arthur’s claim that the family never lived there.
Arthur remained married to Acton’s stepfather until his death. On Tuesday, Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed it was behind the advertisement and announced plans to spend $4m promoting it. On Tuesday, Acton’s campaign released a statement recounting her childhood and a response ad featuring her brother, Phil Stearns.
David Niven, a political science professor at Ohio’s University of Cincinnati, told Al Jazeera that while campaigns have used relatives to criticise candidates before, this advertisement was particularly unusual. That’s what’s unprecedented here.” President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have defended Ramaswamy while other senior Republicans have called for the ad to be withdrawn. On Thursday, Trump described the ad as “very powerful” and said he had encouraged Ramaswamy to continue running it.
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