Ramaswamy's attack ad featuring Amy Acton's mother sparks bipartisan criticism in Ohio

The spot

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, built a one-minute television and online ad around Donna Arthur, the mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton. In it, Arthur tells voters not to let her daughter become their governor, calls Acton a liar and suggests she has mental health problems. The campaign said it would spend US$4 million to broadcast the ad, which drew rare bipartisan criticism. Ramaswamy has stood by it and says the race should turn on the issues facing Ohioans.

“I would love for this race and this election to be about the substantive issues that impact Ohioans.”

Acton's family history

Actton has spoken openly about a difficult childhood that included periods of poverty and alleged sexual abuse by her stepfather. After the ad aired, Acton and her brother made their family history public. Donna Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978, when Amy was 12, after her then husband was arrested and charged with rape. The children were removed from their mother's care after the charge, and the stepfather pleaded not guilty before fleeing. He remained a fugitive until his death in 2004.

Trump's defence and the reaction

Mike DeWine, the outgoing Republican governor, was among those who criticised the ad. Trump told reporters on Friday, 23 October, that the ad was easy to back because a mother was speaking. Pressed on the fact that Acton has been estranged from her mother for decades, he answered "I don't care". On Saturday, 24 October, while casting his ballot in Florida, Trump repeated his support for the ad and insisted it has nothing to do with Acton's stepfather.

“The mother said that Amy Acton is a liar, and she's no good.”

Stakes ahead of 3 November

Barack Obama used a rally in Ohio backing Acton and Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown to brand Trump an agent of "chaos and cruelty". Costs have risen for Americans across the Midwest because of the war in Iran and tariffs, and many voters' opinions of the President have soured as a result. Polls show tight contests for both the governor's race and the Senate seat in Ohio. The midterm elections take place on 3 November.