Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday praised Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for running a television ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, and he urged fellow Republicans to “stop whining” about it.1,3
The ad circulated on social media late Monday. It shows Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, saying that she loves her daughter but that “Amy has a serious problem,” and that Acton has lied about her past and her struggles growing up. Ramaswamy confirmed on Tuesday that his campaign made the ad. The race is one of several in Ohio that could help determine the balance of power in Congress, with a governor’s contest and key Senate and House races on the ballot.1
Speaking at a rally near Cincinnati, Vance said he “wasn’t even supposed to talk about” the ad but could not resist. “Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar,” he said. Vance described the controversy as the “biggest controversy” of the campaign.1,3
Vance also told reporters that Republicans who objected to the ad were misdirecting their energy. “I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” he said. He added that if Republicans believed in their positions, they should “stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days.”3,1
Vance then turned to attack Acton over her record as Ohio’s health director during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Whatever you think about any of the TV advertisements, focus on the substance and focus on the facts. And the fact is that Amy Acton was the woman who tried to mask your children,” he said. Vance later said Acton “could never” serve as governor because she is “worried about whether somebody says something mean about” her.1,3
Acton responded at a campaign event in Wyandot County, calling the ad “horrible and hideous.” “I think it was a horrible and hideous thing to do, a sad thing, and I feel like it was an exploitative thing to do,” she said. “I think it’s despicable, but it’s exactly like he has been this entire campaign.” ABC News said it had reached out to Acton’s campaign for comment on Vance’s remarks.1
Acton has spoken publicly about being abused as a child. She has alleged that her mother’s second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12, and charges were filed against him, with Acton testifying against him. ABC News reported that she has not spoken to her mother since she was 12. In a 2019 interview with The Youngstown Vindicator, Acton said she had not seen her mother since a hearing in the 1978 court case against her stepfather, a detail that differs in timing from the ABC News account.1,3
Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, criticized Ramaswamy in a campaign ad of her own. “Shame on Vivek,” Stearns said in the ad, adding, “It’s the contempt he has for Amy. It’s the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead.” In a separate statement, Stearns said it was “not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point.”1,3
Criticism also came from Republicans. Sen. Jon Husted, who is in a toss-up race for reelection in the state, told the Associated Press after Wednesday’s rally, “I would not have run that ad.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., called it “the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season,” and said she had been “a real big Vivek Ramaswamy fan” but that “this was just deeply offensive.” Conservative commentator Meghan McCain said on X that the ad was “dastardly” and “never should have been created.” An aide to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, deleted a post that shared the video, and the aide, Dan Hauser, apologized, saying he deleted it “after researching it, and the disturbing allegations.”1,3
Ramaswamy did not mention the ad or his opponent when he spoke ahead of Vance at the rally, a contrast with how he often refers to Acton on the campaign trail, ABC News reported. Earlier, he said he wanted the race to be about “substantive issues,” and argued that Acton had ducked accountability and debates and had lied about him. NBC News reported that Ramaswamy’s team plans a $4 million statewide advertising push around the ad.1,3
President Donald Trump was asked about the ad on Wednesday by ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers. Trump said he knew “nothing about it,” adding, “it’s a very unusual situation to have a mother hate a daughter that much, but I don’t think that has anything to do with Vivek.”1
NBC News reported that several members of Ramaswamy’s campaign previously worked on Vance’s political team. NBC News also said that its attempts to reach Donna Arthur by phone and email on Tuesday were unsuccessful.3
Vance said he was focused on who would win the election rather than on the advertisement itself. “Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern,” he said, according to NBC News. With the vote about two weeks away, the dispute over the ad remains a central storyline in the Ohio race.3,1
Vance has not said whether he expects the ad to continue airing, and the reports did not indicate any further response from Ramaswamy on the matter.1,3
