Amy Acton Urges Trump and Vance to Review Abuse Case Facts

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton told ABC News on Saturday that she hopes President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will "look at the facts" of the childhood abuse she says she endured, after both men defended a campaign ad from Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy that features Acton's estranged mother, according to ABC News.

What did Acton say about Trump and Vance's response?

"My job is to work with anyone on any side of the aisle to solve problems instead of making them, and I would say I do hope they would look at the facts," Acton said, per ABC News. She spoke after a Cleveland rally with former President Barack Obama on Saturday, Oct. 24.

What does the Ramaswamy ad say, and what does it leave out?

The ad features Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, saying Acton has lied about her past, ABC News reported. The spot does not mention allegations that Acton was sexually abused as a child. Acton says she has not seen her mother since she was 12 years old.

What are the facts of the underlying abuse case?

Acton has alleged her mother's second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12, according to ABC News. Charges were filed against the stepfather, and Acton testified against him. He pleaded not guilty, fled the state before trial, and never appeared before a judge; he died in 2004, ABC News reported. "There are facts in this case: a grand jury indictment, fugitive out against bail, and that behavior went on and on," Acton told ABC News, adding that she and her brother endured "extreme child abuse and neglect" and were "frequent flyers in children's services."

How have Trump and Vance defended the ad?

Trump dismissed questions about the sexual-abuse allegations this week, asserting at multiple points that the ad has "nothing to do" with Acton's stepfather, according to ABC News. Vance told Ohio rally attendees he is "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," ABC News reported.

Has the ad produced any bipartisan reaction?

ABC News reported bipartisan backlash against Ramaswamy's campaign following the ad's release. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, described by ABC News as Ohio's largest newspaper, endorsed Acton on Sunday, reversing an earlier decision not to endorse in the race. The paper's editorial board wrote, in part, that Ramaswamy "has produced a campaign advertisement that weaponizes the sexual abuse his opponent, Amy Acton, suffered as a child. People across the political spectrum have rightly condemned it," according to ABC News.

The exchange comes as Ohio's governor's race heads toward Election Day, with Acton and Ramaswamy both working to define the contest around the ad in its closing stretch, per ABC News's reporting on the campaign.