In the closing weeks of Ohio’s 2026 gubernatorial race, Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign released a one-minute attack ad featuring Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who calls her daughter a “liar” with a “serious problem” and urges voters not to elect her.
The ad, which first circulated online without an initial sponsor disclaimer before the campaign confirmed responsibility, shows Arthur saying she loves her daughter but that Acton “lies about her past,” including claims of growing up living in a tent, and that “none of that is true. She’s lied her entire life.” Arthur adds that her daughter “needs help” and “can’t help you if she needs help herself,” warning that electing her would make things “only get worse.” The Ramaswamy campaign said Arthur was not paid and announced plans to spend $4 million airing the spot online and on television.
The ad does not address the decades-long estrangement. Acton has publicly described childhood neglect, instability, periods of homelessness (including a winter in a tent), and sexual abuse by her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, roughly between ages 10 and 12. Court records show Cledith Arthur was arrested and indicted in 1978 on rape charges involving Acton (then 12); he pleaded not guilty, became a fugitive after missing court, and died years later without conviction. Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody; Acton has said she has not seen or spoken to her mother since a 1978 courtroom appearance, and that her mother remained with the stepfather. Her brother, Philip Stearns, has corroborated accounts of abuse, neglect, and the tent living situation and called the ad a “despicable low” for turning the sexual abuse into a political talking point.
Acton condemned the ad, stating she was removed at age 12 “for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse,” that her mother “did nothing to protect me,” and that Ramaswamy was exploiting her childhood trauma for political gain. She has refused to “normalize” the tactic.
The spot drew bipartisan backlash. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called it “deeply, deeply troubling” and “wrong,” noting the backstory of the indictment, flight, and permanent separation of the children from their mother. Sen. Jon Husted (R) said he “would not have run that ad,” and Secretary of State Frank LaRose expressed similar reservations. Commentators including Meghan McCain labeled it “dastardly,” while Nikki Haley referred to Ramaswamy as “a bad guy.” Democrats, including Senate nominee Sherrod Brown, called it “disgusting.” Vice President JD Vance defended the ad as calling out a liar, and Ramaswamy himself described it as legitimate scrutiny of Acton’s credibility and a response to her refusal to debate and alleged attacks on him and his family.
Fact-checking outlets and local reporting have noted that available court records, contemporaneous police reports, and family statements largely support key elements of Acton’s long-standing public account of her childhood, which she has discussed since before running for office (including as Ohio’s health director during the COVID-19 pandemic under DeWine). The Ramaswamy campaign has framed the ad around broader claims of Acton being a “serial fabulist.”
With early voting already underway in a competitive race to succeed term-limited Gov. DeWine, the controversy has intensified personal attacks in the final stretch before the November 3 election.
SOURCES:
Amy Acton’s estranged mother appears in attack ad in Ohio governor’s race | AP News
Controversial Ohio Ad Calls Acton a ‘Liar,’ But Records Back Her Account of Childhood – FactCheck.org
Key Ohio Republicans criticize Ramaswamy’s ad with Acton’s estranged mother, even as Vance warned them not to | CNN Politics
Republicans call out Vivek Ramaswamy over Amy Acton ad – Newsweek
Ad for Trump-backed Ramaswamy features opponent’s ‘abusive’ mom. The internet is furious | The Independent
Amy Acton campaign slams Ramaswamy over controversial ad featuring estranged mother – ABC News
An Ohio attack ad turns a candidate’s mother against her and divides the GOP – Deseret News
