Ramaswamy Pulls Ohio Attack Ad on Acton's Mother After Backlash

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, confirmed Thursday that his campaign stopped airing a political ad built around the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. Asked by a reporter in Vandalia, Ohio, whether the campaign had pulled the spot, Ramaswamy said, "It ran to completion and we put up four other ads," according to The Guardian.

What Did the Ad Say About Amy Acton's Mother?

The ad featured Donna Arthur, who lost custody of her daughter, Acton, in 1978 after Donna's second husband, Cledith Arthur, was charged with raping the girl between the ages of 10 and 12, court records cited by the Guardian show. In a 2020 interview with the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue — given while Acton was leading Ohio's Covid-19 response as state health director — Donna Arthur said she knew before marrying Cledith Arthur that he had previously been accused of raping his own daughter. In that same interview, Donna Arthur also called her daughter "a liar."

Why Did Trump Defend the Ad?

Donald Trump repeatedly defended the ad, including at a joint rally with Ramaswamy on Wednesday in Chillicothe, Ohio, the Guardian reported. The spot drew criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans after the custody history became widely known, which the Guardian described as prompting "a wave of revulsion."

What Changed Between the 60-Second and 30-Second Versions?

Ramaswamy's campaign had announced the prior week that it would spend $4 million to broadcast the ad. The version that ran was edited down from an original 60-second cut to roughly 30 seconds, removing Donna Arthur's claim that her daughter lied about the family having lived in a tent with Cledith Arthur during Acton's childhood. Court records from the time confirm that Cledith Arthur did live in a tent when he was arrested on the rape charges, the Guardian noted.

By the Numbers

• $4 million — planned ad spending Ramaswamy's campaign announced for the broadcast buy.
• 30 seconds — length of the edited ad that aired, down from an original 60-second version.
• 1978 — year Donna Arthur lost custody of her daughter, Amy Acton.
• 4 — additional ads Ramaswamy says his campaign has launched since the disputed spot stopped running.

What's Next in the Ohio Governor's Race?

• Watch whether Ramaswamy's campaign releases further detail on the content or targeting of the four replacement ads he referenced.
• Watch for Acton campaign responses or renewed debate-scheduling disputes, after Ramaswamy again criticized her for declining to debate him.
• Watch whether Trump addresses the ad's discontinuation directly, given his public defense of it at Wednesday's Chillicothe rally.

Glossary

• Attack ad — a paid campaign advertisement designed to damage an opposing candidate rather than promote the sponsor's own record.
• Custody records — court filings documenting a legal determination over parental rights, cited here to establish the 1978 timeline.
• Operation Rescue — an anti-abortion advocacy group that conducted the 2020 interview with Donna Arthur referenced in the Guardian's reporting.

Ramaswamy told reporters he would "love" for the campaign's final stretch to focus on policy rather than "30-second ads," according to the Guardian's account of his Vandalia remarks.