Ramaswamy Campaign to Spend $4 Million on Ad With Acton’s Estranged Mother

Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed it produced an attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Ohio gubernatorial rival, Democrat Amy Acton, and plans to spend $4 million airing it statewide. In the ad, Donna Arthur calls Acton a liar and disputes her account of childhood homelessness. Acton has said she was sexually abused by her stepfather between ages 10 and 12, that her mother failed to protect her, and that she experienced homelessness before she and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody; her brother has corroborated her account and condemned the ad as exploiting her childhood abuse. Ramaswamy defended the ad as scrutiny of Acton’s claims and campaign conduct. The ad has drawn bipartisan criticism, while the campaign says it tested well with persuadable voters.