Washington: An election advertisement released by Ohio governor-aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy, featuring his opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother, has kicked off a row angering Republicans and Democrats alike.
The 60-second advertisement features Donna Arthur, Democrat candidate Acton’s mother, calling the latter a liar and urging the Ohio electorate not to vote for her.
Acton, who has a slight lead over Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor’s race, has not had contact with her mother since she was 12 years old. She and her brother were removed from Arthur’s home after a grand jury indicted Arthur’s second husband on a charge of raping Acton.
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s team has confirmed that it produced a controversial advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent in Ohio’s gubernatorial race — and that the campaign will spend $4 million US to promote it despite facing bipartisan rebuke for dredging up Amy Acton’s painful childhood.
The ad introduces a deeply personal element into one of the country’s most closely watched and expensive campaigns for state office. Questions about the video will likely shadow Ramaswamy in the final two weeks of the contest, with Democrats branding it as a desperate move.
More than 676,000 people have already cast ballots in Ohio ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.
The advertisement features Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her “a liar” and insinuating she has mental health issues. The ad was first surfaced by the political blog The Rooster.
Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton. The Democratic candidate has not seen her mother, whose last known address was in Pennsylvania, since they were both in a courtroom in 1978.
Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign, said Acton’s mother was not paid for the one-minute video, which she said will stream online and air on television.
Ramaswamy’s campaign initially issued a statement that did not address whether he was responsible for the ad or knew who produced it. In the earlier statement, Luck said Acton was a “serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of.”
The video’s origins were initially murky when it started circulating online. It did not include the “paid for” tag that is legally required to air on television so viewers can know who produced and paid for it.
Acton, Ohio’s former public health director, has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child. She spent Tuesday condemning Ramaswamy for the ad even before his campaign confirmed its origins.
Acton’s campaign also released a statement and video from her brother, Philip Stearns, who said the two were removed from their mother’s custody. He recalled his older sister taking “the worst” of the abuse they faced as children to protect him.
“Shame on Vivek. The contempt he has for Amy is the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead,” said Stearns.
The Columbus Dispatch, in an editorial Wednesday morning endorsing Acton for governor for several reasons, called the ad “revolting and unsettling.” The newspaper condemned the smear from Republicans while the party continues to support Rep. Max Miller, who is campaigning for re-election after being accused of child and spousal abuse by his ex-wife.
