Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy acknowledged his campaign's responsibility for a contentious advertisement featuring Democratic opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother and subsequently defended the ad's content during a Tuesday evening statement.
The revelation comes as Ramaswamy was interrupted by a heckler at an event at CrossPointe Church in Westerville, Ohio.
Donna Arthur makes bombshell claims in controversial ad
In the advertisement, Donna Arthur, the mother of Acton, leveled accusations of dishonesty against her and appealed to Ohio voters to refrain from casting their ballots for her in the forthcoming November election.
"I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent—and it's not easy for a mother to say this—but Amy has a serious problem," she said. "She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She's lied her entire life."
{{/usCountry}}"I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent—and it's not easy for a mother to say this—but Amy has a serious problem," she said. "She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She's lied her entire life."
{{/usCountry}}"My daughter needs help, and she can't help you if she needs help herself," Arthur continued. “People can change, but first they have to tell the truth, and my daughter still isn't doing that. Don't vote for people who lie. Don't let her become your governor. If you think she'll make your life better, you're fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”
Ramaswamy says 'it's an ad from our campaign'
The biotechnology entrepreneur and 2024 Republican presidential primary contender stated that the advertisement was in response to Acton's unwillingness to engage in debate and the derogatory claims that he asserted the Democratic opponent had disseminated regarding his character.
“It is an ad from our campaign. I would love for this race and this election to be about the substantive issues that impact Ohioans. Unfortunately, Amy Acton has been hiding from those issues. She won't debate me. She doesn't allow cameras at her events,” Ramaswamy told reporters, including local outlet NBC4 Columbus.
“And I think her record of continuously—certainly during this campaign—I would say spreading some defamatory, disparaging lies about me and my family that does deserve to be scrutinized, and this is part of a broader pattern.”
Did Ramaswamy pay Amy Acton's mother for ad?
According to Ramaswamy, Arthur did not receive compensation for the advertisement, and he stated that he has never established a personal acquaintance with Acton's mother.
Acton, who served as the director of the Ohio Department of Health between 2019 and 2020, has maintained a state of estrangement from Arthur since 1978, when her husband was apprehended and accused of committing sexual assault against Acton at the age of twelve, as reported by the outlet.
The promotional advertisement has elicited substantial criticism from various quarters, notably including political analyst Meghan McCain, who expressed her disapproval through social media, stating: "This is a dastardly ad. It never should have been created. Shame on whatever consultant firm created this."
Former United States Senator Sherrod Brown, serving as the Democratic contender in Ohio's senatorial election, characterized the advertisement as "disgusting."
Amy Acton and her brother speak out
As Ramaswamy faces backlash over the release of ad, Acton spoke told Spectrum News on Tuesday, “I won't normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is something I'm just complaining about. Who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect and sexual abuse; my brother and I were removed.”
The campaign subsequently released a video advertisement on Tuesday in which Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, reiterated his objections regarding Ramaswamy's "disgusting attack."
"Shame on Vivek," he stated, continuing, “It's the contempt he has for Amy. It's the contempt he has for Ohio. He's not fit to lead.”
Acton presently maintains a 3.7 percentage point advantage over Ramaswamy, according to the most recent RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.