Ramaswamy campaign says it will spend $4m on statewide airtime
On Thursday, Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was “wrong” to release an advertisement critical of Democratic rival Amy Acton. The video featured Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, and DeWine urged the Ramaswamy campaign to take it down. Ramaswamy is bidding to replace the outgoing DeWine, who spoke to reporters at the Ohio state capital.
DeWine called the advertisement “deeply, deeply troubling” and told reporters, “It’s wrong to run this ad.” He said “family members have always historically been off limits” and urged Ramaswamy’s campaign to withdraw the video. DeWine noted that Acton had earlier this year mentioned Ramaswamy’s mother’s involvement in an alleged “pump and dump” scheme, though with less prominence than the Ramaswamy advertisement.
The video began circulating on social media earlier in the week, and Ramaswamy’s campaign later told Ohio media outlets that it was the campaign’s work. It shows Arthur calling her daughter “a liar” and saying she should not be put in charge of the state. The campaign later said it would spend $4m to air the advertisement across the state.
Acton said she had not seen Arthur for decades. She said Arthur married a man who sexually abused Acton when Acton was 12 years old and that Arthur remained with the man after police stepped in. Acton has led the Republican nominee Ramaswamy in recent polls of the governor’s race.
Trump’s response came on Truth Social on Thursday afternoon. He wrote that DeWine was “disloyal to the Republican party.” He then wrote, “He probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn’t want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing.” Trump said he had suggested that “Vivek should keep it up” and that everyone should hear Arthur’s account. Trump also described Arthur as the mother of a “defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate” and called Acton a “DISASTER” who “lies, cheats, and steals.”
Speaking to reporters in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance said, “Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern.” Vance said he was “a little bit disgusted” when he saw Republicans across the country whining more about the advertisement than about what congressional Democrats and other Democrats wanted to do to the United States of America. He added, “Politics is a tough business.”
Connie Luck, a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign, said the campaign rejected “the media’s double standards.” She said Democrats had regularly used family members of President Trump, RFK Jr. and other Republicans in advertisements, adding, “Voters shouldn’t buy it.”
Amy Acton’s campaign released a statement in which her brother, Philip Stearns, called the Ramaswamy advertisement “a despicable low.” Stearns noted that he and Amy Acton had been removed from Arthur’s custody after her stepfather was arrested.
Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, whose election bid could decide which party controls the chamber in the 3 November midterms, joined the criticism. Husted told the Associated Press, “I would not have run that ad.” His Democratic opponent, former Sen. Sherrod Brown, called the video “disgusting” and said all candidates should denounce it.
Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose criticized Ramaswamy. Speaking to Columbus-area broadcaster ABC 6, LaRose said, “I probably wouldn’t run an ad like that, but every candidate gets to make their own decision.”
DeWine nevertheless declined to drop his endorsement of Ramaswamy. He said he wanted to support the “full ticket” of Republican candidates in the midterms, even as he urged the campaign to remove the advertisement.