Ramaswamy takes responsibility for attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother
The campaign says internal testing showed the ad resonated with persuadable voters despite bipartisan criticism.
- On Tuesday, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign produced an attack ad featuring Democratic candidate Amy Acton's estranged mother and is spending $4 million to air it statewide.
- The video features Donna Arthur accusing Acton of being a "liar" about her childhood; Acton was removed from Arthur's custody at age 12 after her stepfather was charged with rape.
- Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, called the ad a "disgusting attack," stating their mother remained married to the stepfather until his death in 2004 and the campaign is exploiting their trauma.
- Conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham questioned the strategy, saying "it seems crazy to me one would assume this would work and not backfire," while Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown called the ad "disgusting."
- Recent polling shows Acton leading Ramaswamy 50% to 43% among likely voters, though campaign manager Jonathan Ewing defended the $4 million spend as necessary despite the criticism.
121 Articles
121 Articles
Amy Acton campaign slams Ramaswamy over controversial ad featuring estranged mother - Regional Media News
Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton's campaign slammed her GOP opponent Vivek Ramaswamy Tuesday, alleging his campaign used her estranged mother, whom she has accused of abusing her and standing by the man who sexually abused her, to urge voters not to support her in [...]
Abuse and estrangement: What controversial Ohio governor’s race ad didn’t mention
Vivek Ramaswamy released an ad featuring Amy Acton’s mother calling her a “liar.” Left out: Acton has been estranged from her mother since childhood, after her stepfather was charged with sexual abuse.
Vivek Ramaswamy made a 12-year-old girl's worst nightmare into a $4 million ad buy
Vivek Ramaswamy has confirmed that the ad featuring Dr. Amy Acton’s estranged mother is his campaign’s work, not the work of a political action committee. In it, her mother calls Acton a liar about her childhood abuse. Remember the record. In 1978, Acton’s stepfather was arrested and charged with raping her. She was 12. A grand jury indicted him. He fled and was a fugitive for years. The state removed Acton and her brother from that home. Their …
Ohio Democrat Rips Vivek Ramaswamy For Using Estranged And Abusive Mother In 'Disgusting' Attack Ad
*Trigger Warning: this article contains mentions of child sexual abuseDemocratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton and her brother criticized billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, her GOP opponent, after he used their estranged mother in a political attack ad.Acton has long said that she became estranged from her mother when she was a child, after her stepfather was charged with raping her at age 12. He pleaded not guilty, according…
THE Ohio governor's race has become uncertain after a controversial video in which Ramaswamy attacks Amy Acton using her estranged mother.
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