Amy Acton's mother featured in Ramaswamy ad
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The gist
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed his Ohio governor campaign is running an ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother.
Ohio's Republican governor urged him to pull it two weeks before Election Day.
Background
Vivek Ramaswamy is a Republican gubernatorial candidate, biotech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate; Amy Acton is the Democratic candidate, a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health. The ad features Donna Arthur, Acton's estranged birth mother, who says in it that Acton "lies about her past." Acton says she was removed from her mother's home at age 12 after sexual abuse by her stepfather, and the two have been estranged since 1978. The ad surfaced in the final weeks of the race, initially shared by a political blogger's Substack and circulated by Acton opponents and Ramaswamy supporters.
How it unfolded
- 1978Acton and her mother have been estranged since 1978, after Acton's stepfather was charged with raping her; Acton has not seen her mother since.
- Oct 18, 2026Ramaswamy speaks at the Darke County Republican Party Hog Roast in Greenville, Ohio.
- Oct 19, 2026A video that appears to be a campaign ad circulates on social media without language identifying its sponsor.
- Oct 20, 2026Bipartisan backlash erupts; Acton tells WSYX-TV it was "a terrible thing to do to someone who is not well," and Ramaswamy confirms to reporters it is his ad.
- Oct 21, 2026Ramaswamy confirms the ad was produced by his campaign at a stop in Westerville; Acton's team says he is investing $4 million to run it.
- Oct 22, 2026Republican Gov. Mike DeWine denounces the ad at the Statehouse in Columbus, urging the campaign to take it down.
- Oct 23, 2026Ramaswamy defends the ad at a campaign stop in northeast Ohio, saying it had nothing to do with childhood abuse.
Who’s saying what
- Ramaswamy
- Says the ad is about Acton "hiding" from issues and spreading "defamatory, disparaging lies," and that it had nothing to do with childhood abuse.
- Acton
- Says she was sexually abused by her stepfather between ages 10 and 12 while her birth mother did nothing to protect her, and calls the ad "a terrible thing to do."
- Republicans
- Gov. Mike DeWine calls the ad "deeply, deeply troubling" and urges it be taken down; Sen. Jon Husted says he would not have run it.
- Caution
- Some Republicans warned the ad could backfire at a time when controversy over the Epstein files has elevated child sexual abuse as a national campaign issue.
Still unverified
ABC News could not verify the content or authenticity of the video, and it was unclear who commissioned it; clips cut off without a disclosure about who paid for it. Ramaswamy did not answer whether Arthur was coached or who wrote the script.