Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, hasn’t seen her mother since she was a kid. But with less than two weeks until Election Day, their painful family history has suddenly become the subject of a multimillion-dollar political attack ad.
Acton, who is also the state’s former health director, is locked in a tight race against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate. Now, Ramaswamy’s campaign is spending $4 million to promote a video featuring Acton’s estranged mother attacking her daughter — a clip so personal that some prominent Republicans are turning on their own nominee over it.
Why is the ad so controversial?
The video that began circulating earlier this week features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter “a liar” and urging Ohioans not to vote for her. She also disputes Acton’s accounts of experiencing abuse and homelessness growing up.
But Acton hasn’t had contact with her mother since she was 12 and has spoken publicly about her difficult childhood for years.
According to police and court records obtained by The Associated Press, Acton's stepfather Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged in 1978 with raping Acton and was later indicted by a grand jury. He pleaded not guilty but failed to appear for a court hearing and was considered a fugitive for years. Acton and her brother were ultimately removed from their mother’s custody, while Donna Arthur remained married to Cledith until his death in 2004.
Acton said she last saw her mother around the time of the court proceedings. “In the courthouse after they were charged, I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away,” the candidate told The Vindicator in 2019. “That was the last time I ever saw her.”
Acton condemned Ramaswamy’s decision to feature her estranged mother in the ad. “A sad thing, and I feel like it was an exploitative thing to do. My mother is not well,” Acton told CBS affiliate WBNS. “So, I think it’s despicable.”
Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, has also come to her defense, backing up her account of their childhood, including living in a tent and experiencing abuse.
“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Stearns said in a statement released by Acton’s campaign.
What are Republicans saying about it?
The ad has drawn bipartisan condemnation, including unusual backlash from Ramaswamy’s own party.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has endorsed Ramaswamy, called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling” and urged his campaign to take it down. “It’s wrong to run this ad,” DeWine told reporters Thursday. He stopped short of withdrawing his endorsement and said he still supports the Republican ticket.
Other Ohio Republicans have also distanced themselves from the attack. Sen. Jon Husted said, “I would not have run that ad,” while former Ohio House Speaker Ryan Smith accused members of his party of “normalizing bad behavior and embarrassing the party.”
The criticism has spread beyond Ohio. South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace called it “the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season.” Mace, who has spoken publicly about surviving sexual assault, said she had previously been a strong Ramaswamy supporter.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who repeatedly clashed with Ramaswamy during the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has also weighed in, calling him “a bad guy” and adding, “It’s a shame he continues to get away with it.”
How is Ramaswamy responding?
The ad initially circulated on social media without the required disclosure identifying who paid for it, leaving its origins unclear. But on Tuesday, Ramaswamy told reporters the ad came from his campaign, which now plans to spend $4 million airing it across Ohio on television and online.
Ramaswamy has also defended the attack itself, arguing that Acton has avoided debating him while making what he called “defamatory, disparaging lies” about him and his family. “That does deserve to be scrutinized,” he told reporters, “and this is part of a broader pattern.”
He still has powerful defenders within the GOP. On Thursday, President Trump defended Ramaswamy, praising him for airing a “very powerful ad” and arguing that criticism of it proved its effectiveness. “Who wouldn’t use such an ad?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I would, it’s called, ‘hitting pay dirt.’”
Vice President JD Vance also came to Ramaswamy’s defense, saying he was “disgusted” by the Republican backlash and dismissing concerns that the ad went too far. “Politics is a tough business,” Vance told reporters Wednesday, before telling fellow Republicans to “stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days,” according to the Associated Press.
Could the ad backfire?
Some insiders believe the ad could hurt Ramaswamy. Former Republican strategist Mike Murphy, now a prominent Trump critic, went so far as to call it potential “political suicide” on X.
The backlash also comes at a critical point in an already competitive race. A mid-October Marist poll found Acton leading Ramaswamy 50 percent to 43 percent among likely voters, with Election Day just weeks away.
There are already signs that the controversy is changing how political analysts view the race. On Thursday, election forecaster Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted its rating of the Ohio governor’s race from “toss-up” to “leans Democratic,” pointing to what it called Ramaswamy’s “explosive — and desperate — attack ad” as a factor in the change.
The fallout is also bringing new support — and money — to Acton’s campaign. Illinois first lady MK Pritzker donated $500,000 to her coffers after the ad's release. “Bad men gain power when we don't fight back," she said in a statement shared by her husband, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Whether any of that translates into votes is another question. Ramaswamy’s campaign reportedly tested the ad with persuadable voters before committing $4 million to promote it, suggesting his team is betting the attack will help rather than hurt him. But signs already indicate the controversy may be working against him.
