Politics · United States · 2 hrs ago
Ramaswamy ends Ohio ad featuring opponent Amy Acton’s mother
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has ended its run of an ad featuring Amy Acton’s mother in the Ohio governor’s race.
Ramaswamy and Democrat Acton are competing to succeed Republican Gov.
Mike DeWine.
The ad showed Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a liar and urging voters not to support her.
Acton says she has not seen her mother since her stepfather was charged with raping her when she was a child.
The ad drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats, including DeWine, and the campaign had said it would spend $4 million to air it.
Ramaswamy said the ad ran to completion and four other ads are now running; he did not apologize, while Acton said he was exploiting her childhood.
Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has stopped airing a controversial ad featuring the mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.
The campaign said the ad finished its intended run and that four other ads are running.
The ad featured Donna Arthur calling her daughter a liar and urging Ohioans not to vote for her.
The ad drew bipartisan condemnation, and critics objected to the campaign’s use of Acton’s family history.
Acton called the ad despicable, while her campaign spokesperson criticized its ending without an apology.
- Who
- Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign and Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor.
- What
- The campaign stopped airing an ad featuring Acton’s mother after the ad completed its intended run.
- When
- The campaign confirmed the ad was leaving the airwaves on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026.
- Where
- Ohio television airwaves.
- Why
- The campaign said the ad had run to completion. The sources do not state another reason.
Ramaswamy campaign
Acton campaign and ad critics
Reason for airing or ending the ad
Ramaswamy campaign
The campaign said the ad completed its intended run and that four other ads were running.
Acton campaign and ad critics
Acton’s campaign said Ramaswamy should not have run the ad and criticized its ending without an apology.
Use of Acton’s mother
Ramaswamy campaign
The ad featured Donna Arthur criticizing her daughter and urging Ohioans not to vote for her.
Acton campaign and ad critics
Critics condemned the use of Arthur as a character witness and the airing of painful family history.
The ad debuted and drew wide bipartisan condemnation.
Acton told reporters she was learning things about her childhood that she had not known.
Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed the ad was leaving Ohio’s airwaves after completing its intended run.
Ramaswamy said the campaign had put up four other ads.
- Ad subject
- Donna Arthur, Amy Acton’s mother
- Ad airtime
- The campaign said last week the ad would receive $4 million in airtime
- Ad versions
- It began as a one-minute spot and was later shortened to 30 seconds
- Other campaign ads
- Ramaswamy said four other ads were running
- Race
- Ohio governor’s race
3 sources
What people are saying
I’m learning things even about my childhood right now that I did not know
I think it is despicable.
Vivek Ramaswamy should never have run his despicable ad in the first place, and it’s totally unsurprising that he took it off the air in the most cowardly way possible, without even the hint of an apology to Dr. Acton, her family, or to the people of Ohio
It ran to completion, and we’ve put up four other ads