A roughly one-minute campaign ad has detonated in the Ohio governor's race — pitting a candidate's own party against him, pulling in the president and vice president, and turning a painful family history into the closing argument of one of America's most-watched elections.
The ad
Produced by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign, the spot features his Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton's estranged birth mother, Donna Arthur, who calls Acton a liar about her childhood: "It's not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past," she says, adding: "She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true." It closes: "Don't let her become your governor."
The ad began circulating on social media late Monday night (October 19); Ramaswamy confirmed Tuesday evening that his campaign made it. The campaign is spending $4 million on a statewide TV and online buy, and by Thursday morning Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said his wife had seen it on television.
Acton's response
Acton says she has been estranged from her mother since 1978 — she last saw Arthur in a courtroom that year, according to People and BBC reporting. At age 12, Acton and her brother were removed from their mother's custody after her stepfather was arrested and charged in connection with the abuse of Acton; court records show he pleaded not guilty, fled the state and was never prosecuted, dying in 2004. Acton has publicly described a childhood of homelessness — including one winter living in a tent — neglect and abuse, an account her brother corroborates.
"This is despicable, what he's done," Acton said in an interview with Columbus station 10TV. "My mother is not well." In a 30-second response ad, her brother Philip Stearns calls the attack "a despicable low."
Two sides, sharply divided
Backing the ad: President Donald Trump praised it as "very powerful," urging on Truth Social that "Vivek should keep it up," and told reporters Acton is "fair game." Vice President J.D. Vance, appearing with Ramaswamy at a Cincinnati-area rally, said he was "a little bit disgusted" by Republicans "whining" about the ad. Ramaswamy's camp says the ad "tested well with persuadable voters."
Condemning the ad: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine — who has endorsed Ramaswamy — called it "deeply, deeply troubling" at a press conference and asked Ramaswamy to take it down, though he did not rescind his endorsement. Former Governor John Kasich said it "should have never been put together" and demanded it be taken off the air. Senator Mike Lee deleted his retweet of the ad after learning the abuse backstory. Democrats including Sherrod Brown and Hakeem Jeffries called it "disgusting," while Acton's fundraising surged onto ActBlue's trending list and Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker donated $500,000 to her campaign.
What happens next
With Election Day on November 3 and more than 676,000 Ohioans having already cast ballots, the question is whether the ad moves persuadable voters — or backfires. Ramaswamy shows no sign of pulling it; his campaign says it could be a "campaign-ending moment" for Acton. Ohio decides in eleven days.
Watch: 10TV Columbus, Amy Acton calls Vivek Ramaswamy campaign ad featuring her estranged mother "despicable" — covering both Acton's response and Ramaswamy's confirmation.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0