Campaign spent roughly $1 million, a quarter of the stated $4 million
Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial attack ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, is off the air. Ramaswamy said Thursday during a campaign appearance in Vandalia, Ohio, that the ad’s planned run was over.
The Republican spent about a quarter of what his campaign initially said it would invest to run the ad. His campaign originally said it would spend $4 million; data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact showed it spent roughly $1 million.
The spot featured Donna Arthur, Acton’s mother, calling her daughter a “lifelong liar.” The two have not seen each other for nearly 50 years.
Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978 after her husband, their stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton when she was 12.
The divisive spot provoked backlash in Ohio and among politicians of both parties across the nation. Ramaswamy had defended the ad, though a later version trimmed some portions.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance said they supported the decision to air the ad. Trump said he told Ramaswamy to leave it on the air, adding “she’s fair game.”
Ohio governors past and present, alumni of Ramaswamy’s Catholic high school in Cincinnati, and others had urged him to pull it down.
Acton’s campaign said the ad was “despicable” and should never have run, and that Ramaswamy should have apologized.