Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton has spoken out after her political opponent Vivek Ramaswamy used her estranged mother in a controversial campaign ad. The Ohio governor candidate says the video exploits a painful chapter of her childhood, which involved allegations of severe abuse and neglect.
The ad, produced by gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign, features Acton’s biological mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter “a liar” and suggesting she has mental health issues.
Arthur also accuses Acton of lying about Ramaswamy, although she does not explain which statements she believes are false.
“Don’t vote for people who lie. Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse,” Arthur says in the one-minute video.
The ad has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, with several prominent figures questioning the decision to involve Acton’s estranged mother in the campaign.
For Acton, the controversy is deeply personal. The former Ohio public health director has spoken openly about experiencing homelessness and abuse as a child.
According to police and court records obtained by the Associated Press, Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested in July 1978 and charged with raping her when she was 12 years old.
Vivek Ramaswamy face political backlash amid ad with Amy Acton’s mother
The alleged abuse took place between December 1976 and April 1978. Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty, and a grand jury formally indicted him in September 1978. He later failed to appear for a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981. He has since died.
Acton’s biological father had reported him to authorities. Authorities subsequently removed Acton and her brother, Philip Stearns, from their mother’s custody.
Acton’s campaign released a statement from Stearns, who recalled the difficult circumstances they faced as children. He said his older sister endured the worst of the abuse to protect him.
Stearns also criticized Ramaswamy and his supporters for bringing their family’s painful history into the political campaign.
Acton has not seen her mother since 1978, when the two appeared together in court. Donna’s last known address was in Pennsylvania.
Political backlash grows over controversial ad
Ramaswamy’s campaign spokesperson, Connie Luck, said Arthur was not paid for appearing in the video. However, the backlash towards the gubernatorial candidate has been massive.
Meghan McCain described the ad as “dastardly,” while Republican strategist Dan Hauser deleted a post sharing the video after learning more about the allegations surrounding Acton’s childhood.
Uhaser explained his decision in a follow-up statement.
“I posted the video of Amy Acton’s mother without understanding the details behind their relationship and the very serious accusations that caused their issues,” he wrote. “After researching it, and the disturbing allegations, I have deleted the video post.”
Sherrod Brown, the Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, also condemned the ad as “disgusting.” He urged people, including his Republican opponent, Senator Jon Husted, to speak out against it.
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who ran against Ramaswamy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, also criticized him. On X, Haley branded Ramaswamy a “bad guy,” adding that it was “a shame he continues to get away with it.”
Amy Acton breaks silence with brutal response to Vivek Ramaswamy
Vice President JD Vance, however, declined to condemn the ad when BBC News asked about it.
“It’s not really my concern,” Vance said when asked whether he considered the video appropriate.
He went on to argue that the country’s political future was a more important issue, saying he was “a little bit disgusted” by members of his own party who were “whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America.”
On Tuesday, Amy Acton broke silence. Speaking to Spectrum News, she condemned the decision to use her estranged mother in the video.
“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse,” she said.
“Taken advantage of someone who’s clearly not well”
Acton later spoke to CNN at a farm event in Ohio, describing the video as “hard” to watch. She also reflected on why she has chosen to speak publicly about her childhood, despite the painful memories attached to it.
“The reason I talk about my childhood when I do is just one: I started to realize it might give other people hope that you can, you know, get out of circumstances,” Acton said.
“I remember people looking the other way and systems not working, but I also remember more the people who didn’t look the other way,” she added.
Her comments offered a glimpse into why she has continued to share her experiences, saying she hopes her story can help others who have faced similar circumstances. In another interview, with WOSU’s All Sides with Amy Juravich, Acton delivered an even sharper criticism of Ramaswamy.
“It’s awful to see her this way, and it’s even more incredible to see that my opponent (Ramaswamy) has taken advantage of someone who’s clearly not well, who is older, and this is totally in line with who he is,” she said.
The controversy has now become a wider debate about the limits of political campaigning and whether a candidate’s family history should be used against them. For Acton, however, the issue goes beyond the campaign trail.
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