Ohio race takes ugly turn with ad featuring Amy Acton's mother
Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother calls her a liar in a new GOP ad. Acton's brother says the ad marks a "despicable low" and says their stepfather sexually abused Acton when she was a child.
Key points
- A new ad features Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her a liar and backing Vivek Ramaswamy.
- Acton's brother Philip Stearns called the ad a despicable low and criticized Ramaswamy.
- Ramaswamy told reporters the ad came from his campaign and defended its content.
A new attack ad in the Ohio governor's race features the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton calling her daughter a liar and defending her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton's campaign and her brother denounced the ad as a despicable low.
The ad circulated on social media on Monday night and lacks the required disclosure of who paid for and authorized it. It has not aired on TV or cable but has spread widely online.
Family responds to the ad
In the spot, Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, says it is not easy for a mother to say this, but that Acton is a liar who lies about her past. Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, said Ramaswamy had stooped to a despicable low by turning the sexual abuse Acton endured at twelve years old into a political talking point.
Stearns said that after their stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged, he and Acton were removed from the Arthurs' custody and lived with their father. He said their birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died.
It's not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low
— Philip Stearns
Ramaswamy defends the ad
Ramaswamy told reporters Tuesday it was an ad from his campaign, according to The Columbus Dispatch, and defended its content, saying people who know her best have told voters to vote for him instead. Spokesperson Connie Luck said the campaign does not know what happened between Acton and her mother, but called Acton a serial fabulist with serious problems with the truth.
Acton, who served as the state's public health commissioner under GOP Gov. Mike DeWine during the pandemic, has previously discussed being abused by her now-deceased stepfather. According to court records provided by the campaign, Arthur was charged with raping Acton in 1978, when she was between 10 and 12 years old, and entered a not guilty plea.
