Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed on Thursday that his campaign had completed airing a disputed advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, and would not extend its run.
The advertisement, which aired for a planned duration despite earlier reports of its removal, featured Donna Arthur, Acton’s birth mother, asserting that Acton had fabricated parts of her personal history. The commercial drew bipartisan condemnation after Arthur, who has not seen Acton since 1978, called her daughter a “liar” in the context of Acton’s gubernatorial bid. Acton has publicly stated she was sexually abused by her stepfather when she was 12, a claim supported by court records from that era.
Ramaswamy’s campaign originally announced plans to spend $4 million broadcasting the spot but later reduced its investment to approximately $1 million, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact. The candidate confirmed the ad ran to completion during a campaign appearance in Vandalia, Ohio, and stated that four replacement commercials would now air in the final stretch of the race.
Acton’s campaign condemned the ad as “despicable” and criticized Ramaswamy for not issuing an apology. A spokesperson for Acton stated, “Vivek Ramaswamy should never have run his despicable ad in the first place, and it’s totally unsurprising that he took it off the air in the most cowardly way possible, without even the hint of an apology to Dr. Acton, her family, or to the people of Ohio.”
The controversy centered on Arthur’s claims that Acton had misrepresented her upbringing, including assertions that Acton had not grown up homeless and had lied about her past. Acton’s family has stated she has not seen her mother since 1978, the year her stepfather was indicted on charges related to sexual abuse. Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, said in a statement that after the abuse was discovered, Acton and her siblings were removed from the home while their mother remained married to the abuser until his death in 2004.
Ramaswamy, when questioned by a reporter about whether Acton had lied about being raped, did not directly address the question. He stated, “Our ad was about her lying about me, and I can confirm she has lied about me extensively in this race, and it’s shameful,” before being directed away by campaign staff.
The ad’s removal follows widespread criticism from political figures across the spectrum. Former Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, publicly opposed the content of the spot, and both major-party figures and alumni from Ramaswamy’s high school urged its discontinuation. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had publicly defended the ad’s use, with Trump stating that Acton was “fair game.”
The gubernatorial race remains tight, with recent polling showing a narrow, statistically inconclusive lead for Acton. The episode has drawn attention to the broader implications of using personal trauma in campaign messaging and raised questions about the ethical boundaries of opposition research in electoral politics.