Donald Trump Jr., Sherrod Brown and Nikki Haley responded to the video
Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took responsibility late Tuesday for a minute-long attack ad featuring Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur. He told reporters, “It is an ad from our campaign.” The advertisement was first posted Monday by The Rooster, an Ohio newsletter. State Republicans and national figures circulated it online, and its circulation prompted speculation about its sponsor. The Ramaswamy campaign initially did not say whether it was behind the ad; a spokeswoman said people who know Acton best “are clearly warning Ohioans not to vote for her.”
Within a day, the video had been viewed millions of times, and prominent Republicans and Ramaswamy allies posted it on X. Donald Trump Jr. posted “Yikes!” on Tuesday morning and wrote, “Ohio watch this and think about what it means.” The president’s son has campaigned for Ramaswamy and urged Ohio Republicans to endorse his campaign.
Former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democratic nominee for Senate this fall, called the video “disgusting.” Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican who clashed with Ramaswamy in the 2024 presidential campaign, said he was a “bad guy. It’s a shame he continues to get away with it.”
In the video, Donna Arthur said, “It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem.” She then said, “She is a liar.” Arthur accused her daughter of fabricating details about her past, including periods of homelessness, and urged voters not to elect Acton, saying, “Don’t vote for people who lie” and “Don’t let her become your governor.”
Acton has said her stepfather sexually abused her as a child, and she has repeatedly said she endured abuse and neglect as a child. Her campaign released a statement from her brother, Philip Stearns, who reiterated that Acton had been sexually abused by her stepfather as a child and that Acton and their mother had been estranged since Acton was a child. Stearns called the video “a despicable low,” described it as “a desperate, disgusting attack” and blamed Ramaswamy for running it.
Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was indicted by an Ohio grand jury in 1978 on a rape charge in connection with the alleged abuse of Acton. He pleaded not guilty. He and Acton’s mother then left the state, and he never stood trial. He died more than two decades ago.
M.K. Pritzker, the wife of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, said Wednesday she was sending $500,000 to support Acton’s campaign. She and her husband are billionaire megadonors to Democratic causes. Her husband, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, is believed to be contemplating a 2028 presidential bid.
Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and politician, made his name as a long-shot candidate for president in 2024 before dropping out and endorsing Trump. He entered Ohio’s gubernatorial race in early 2025 with Trump’s endorsement. Trump carried Ohio in 2024 by more than 11 percentage points, and Ramaswamy won the Republican primary with over 80% of the vote.
Once considered the clear favorite to win, Ramaswamy has recently lost ground to Acton, and the race is now seen as a tossup. Democrats have not won an Ohio gubernatorial race since 2006. Donald Trump Jr., Sherrod Brown, Nikki Haley and Acton’s campaign responded to the video as Election Day remained two weeks away.