Late Tuesday, the campaign of Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed it produced a controversial commercial featuring the estranged birth mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton.
Despite drawing widespread condemnation from both parties for dragging Acton's traumatic upbringing into Ohio’s gubernatorial race, the campaign stated it intends to spend $4 million promoting the ad.
The decision deepens an intensely personal clash in one of the nation’s most closely watched state elections.
Questions surrounding the spot are expected to shadow Ramaswamy—a biotech billionaire who previously sought the Republican presidential nomination but has never held public office—as the campaign enters its final fortnight, with more than 676,000 ballots already cast. Democrats characterized the move as desperate.
In the one-minute video, Donna Arthur, Acton’s birth mother, labels her daughter "a liar" and implies she has mental health struggles. Acton, formerly Ohio’s public health director, has spoken publicly about experiencing childhood abuse and homelessness. Arthur lost custody of her children after her husband was indicted for raping Acton.
The footage's origins were initially unclear when it first circulated on social media via an Ohio political blog. It lacked the legally mandated "paid for" disclaimer required for broadcast television. D.J. Brynes, who runs "The Rooster" blog, stated he obtained the recording from a voter who captured it during an online opinion poll.
Connie Luck, a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign, stated that Arthur was not compensated for participating in the advertisement, which will be streamed online and broadcast on television.
Acton publicly condemned Ramaswamy over the video on Tuesday before his team acknowledged producing it.
"I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse," Acton told Spectrum News.
She noted that Ramaswamy had launched similar personal attacks during his presidential campaign, calling it "a lifelong pattern."
Initially, Ramaswamy’s team issued a response that did not confirm or deny responsibility for the video. In that statement, Luck said Acton "has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of."
The ad has provoked sharp rebukes across political lines. Casey Putsch, a car designer who ran against Ramaswamy in the Republican primary, said on social media that he would support Acton, calling the campaign tactic "pretty damn low."
Acton’s campaign released a statement from her brother, Philip Stearns, explaining that the siblings were removed from Arthur’s care after their stepfather was indicted for child rape.
Acton has not seen Arthur since a court hearing in 1978. Stearns later appeared in a video, describing how his older sister endured "the worst" of the abuse to protect him, and criticizing Ramaswamy’s campaign for exploiting their childhood trauma.
Police and court records show Cledith Arthur was arrested in July 1978 and charged with raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter, following a report to authorities by Acton’s biological father.
The reported abuse occurred between December 1976 and April 1978. Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty and was indicted by a grand jury, but failed to appear for a court date and remained a fugitive until at least 1981. He has since died.
Prominent figures aligned with Ramaswamy, including Donald Trump Jr. and commentator Laura Loomer, shared the clip online. However, other conservatives joined Democrats in rejecting the advertisement.
Commentator Meghan McCain described the ad as "dastardly," while Dan Hauser, a strategist for Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, deleted his post after learning of "the very serious accusations that caused their issues." Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown called the ad "disgusting" and urged all figures in the race to disavow it.
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