Ohio voters are facing a new flashpoint in the closely watched governor’s race. On Tuesday, Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told reporters that a video circulating on social media was produced by his campaign. The clip features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic nominee Amy Acton, stating that her daughter “lies about her past” and has a “serious problem.”
Ramaswamy defends the ad
Ramaswamy said the advertisement was “legitimate” and emphasized that the campaign had not paid Arthur for her appearance. “It is an ad from our campaign, and the thing that I want to say is that I would love for this race and this election to be about the substantive issues that impact Ohioans,” he said. “Unfortunately, Amy Acton has been hiding from those issues. She won’t debate me.”
Acton’s family pushes back
Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, called the ad “disgusting” and accused Ramaswamy of exploiting the sexual abuse Acton endured at age twelve. “It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Stearns said in a statement.
Stearns also reminded the public that their birth mother remained married to Acton’s rapist until his death, underscoring the personal pain behind the campaign attack.
Campaign spokesperson weighs in
Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy, declined to deny the ad’s origin but did not denounce it. “We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” Luck said.
Luck’s statement also accused Acton of lying about Ramaswamy and his family, misrepresenting her own record, and avoiding debates. “If Amy disagrees with these criticisms, she should stand before the people of Ohio, answer the questions, and let voters decide for themselves,” she added.
Acton responds
In an interview with Spectrum News, Acton rejected the ad as a manipulation of her traumatic past. “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 12 for severe abuse and neglect and sexual abuse; my brother and I were removed,” she said.
Acton has long been public about the abuse she suffered and has spoken about seeking therapy. In a 2019 interview with the Youngstown Vindicator, she described a chaotic childhood marked by frequent moves and a stepfather who was charged with raping a 12‑year‑old girl—her own age. The case was reported in an August 1978 newspaper article that confirmed the stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was bound over to a grand jury.
Political context
The ad arrives as both candidates vie for Ohio’s pivotal swing‑state electorate. Ramaswamy, a political outsider, has positioned himself as a challenger to the establishment, while Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health, emphasizes her public‑health experience and personal resilience.
Both campaigns have pledged to focus on issues such as job growth, education, and public safety, but the personal nature of this latest attack underscores the intensity of the contest. Voters will see a debate scheduled later this month, and both sides have urged Ohioans to evaluate the candidates based on policy substance rather than personal attacks.
Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.
