Vivek Ramaswamy admits his campaign made controversial ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother

WASHINGTON, DC: Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy acknowledged on Tuesday, October 20, that his campaign produced a viral video featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, urging voters not to support her.

The video, which circulated on social media less than two weeks before Election Day, shows Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her past and suggesting that she needs help.

Acton and her brother, Philip Stearns, have strongly condemned the video, which has reignited scrutiny of Acton’s publicly documented childhood abuse and her estrangement from her mother.

Vivek Ramaswamy admits campaign made Amy Acton ad

The one-minute video was first published on Monday night, October 19, by Ohio political blogger DJ Byrnes, known as “The Rooster.”

Byrnes told CNN that he obtained the video from a voter who had seen it during a poll and recorded it. The clip spread across social media, including through posts by Donald Trump Jr and other prominent supporters of Ramaswamy.

In the video, Arthur criticizes her daughter’s account of her childhood and questions her suitability for office. "She's lied her entire life," Arthur says.

"My daughter needs help, and she can't help you if she needs help herself. People can change, but first they have to tell the truth, and my daughter still isn't doing that."

When reporters questioned him about the source of the video, Ramaswamy confirmed that his campaign had produced the ad.

The Republican candidate described it as “legitimate” and said Arthur had not been paid to make the statements.

"It is an ad from our campaign, and the thing that I want to say is that I would love for this race and this election to be about the substantive issues that impact Ohioans, and unfortunately, Amy Acton has been hiding from those issues. She won't debate me," he said.

The video did not include a standard political advertising disclaimer identifying who paid for or authorized it.

Acton has strongly criticized Ramaswamy in interviews, accusing him of exploiting her family history for political purposes.

Her campaign also released a response ad featuring Stearns, who condemned the use of their mother’s accusations in the gubernatorial race.

"I won't normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is something I'm just 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; my brother and I were removed," she said.

Amy Acton’s brother condemns Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign ad

Stearns said he and Acton were removed from their mother’s custody after her husband, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged in connection with the abuse of Acton when she was 12.

Newspaper reports from that time appear to corroborate Acton’s account.

The Youngstown Vindicator reported in 1978 that Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was "bound over to the Mahoning County grand jury in connection with” the abuse of a 12-year-old. Acton was born in 1966, making her 12 at the time.

"It's not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low," Stearns said in a statement. "After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married until he died."

Sherrod Brown, the Democratic Senate nominee in Ohio, called the video “disgusting” and urged Republican Senator Jon Husted to condemn it.

The Democratic Governors Association also criticized what it described as a smear campaign.