An attack ad released by Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy may have benefited his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, according to a new poll that found several voters switched their support after encountering it. The Suffolk University-USA TODAY Ohio survey found that 72 percent of respondents had seen or heard about the ad within days of its October 22 release. The ad, which featured Acton’s estranged mother criticizing her daughter’s account of her childhood and political record, persuaded just one respondent to shift their support from Acton to Ramaswamy.
Seven respondents said it prompted them to move from Ramaswamy to Acton. Acton has reportedly not spoken to her mother since 1978. Among those reconsidering their choice was Brenda Malcolm, an independent voter from Columbus’ Northland neighborhood who said she remained undecided but was now leaning toward Acton.
The mother doesn’t know anything about Amy.” The poll surveyed 500 likely Ohio voters from October 21 to 26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Acton led Ramaswamy by 48 percent to 44 percent, with Libertarian candidate Don Kissick receiving 3.6 percent. The four-point difference means the contest remains statistically too close to call.
Ramaswamy committed more than $4 million to airing the commercial through Election Day despite calls from Republican Governor Mike DeWine and former Governor John Kasich to withdraw it. This is a developing story. Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story.
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