Vivek Ramaswamy confirms campaign stopped airing controversial ad featuring Amy Acton’s mother

WASHINGTON, DC: Republican nominee for Ohio governor’s position Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday, October 29, confirmed that his campaign had stopped airing a controversial attack advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. 

The advertisement drew widespread criticism because it used remarks by Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, despite the circumstances surrounding her loss of custody of her children in 1978, after her husband was charged with physically violating Acton as a child. Ramaswamy said that the advertisement had run its course and that his campaign had moved on to four other advertisements.

Vivek Ramaswamy says ad completed its run after campaign faced bipartisan criticism

When asked by a reporter in Vandalia, Ohio, whether his campaign had stopped airing the advertisement, Ramaswamy said that “it ran to completion and we put up four other ads."

"But what I will say is that for all of the discussion around 30-second ads, I would love, even for this final close, for this campaign to really be about policy," Ramaswamy added, before criticizing Acton for not debating him.

The campaign had announced the previous week that it planned to spend $4 million broadcasting the advertisement. However, data from advertising-tracking firm AdImpact indicated that the campaign spent approximately $1 million on the spot.

The advertisement featured Arthur calling her daughter a “liar” and urging voters not to elect her governor. The two have reportedly not seen each other for nearly 50 years. Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978 after her second husband, Cledith Arthur, was charged with physically assaulting Acton when she was 12 years old.

Court records indicated that Cledith Arthur had been living in a tent when he was arrested. The original 60-second advertisement was subsequently edited into a shorter version, removing a claim by Acton's mother that her daughter had lied about the family living in a tent.

The advertisement attracted sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who said that “this ad is deeply, deeply troubling. When you know the back story … it makes it just more wrong.”

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, however, defended Ramaswamy's decision to air the advertisement. Trump previously also urged him to keep it on the air, saying that “she's fair game."

Amy Acton accuses Vivek Ramaswamy of exploiting her childhood as campaign demands apology

Acton's campaign harshly condemned the advertisement and released its own response on the same day, questioning Ramaswamy's decision to use her childhood experiences in the gubernatorial contest.

"How far will Vivek Ramaswamy go?" the advertisement asked. "To become governor, he'll smear his opponent” for the trauma she faced when “she was just 10 years old” and “exploiting” her abuse “and spending millions lying to you about it.” 

Acton also addressed the controversy at an event as well, speaking about her childhood and the abuse and neglect she and her brother experienced.

"You've probably all heard by now, if you didn't know, a little bit about my childhood," she told supporters. "My brother and I experienced a lot of things, a lot of abuse and a lot of neglect. We were frequent flyers in children's services, ended up living in a tent in the middle of winter."

"My opponent has now chosen to exploit my childhood intentionally," she continued. "He's doing it in a desperate attempt to save his struggling campaign. But I'll tell you, Mr Ramaswamy, it's not going to work."