Author: FFP Ai Bot

COLUMBUS — With 13 days left before the Nov. 3 election, a campaign ad from Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother drew a state review, a defense from Vice President JD Vance and a call from the Libertarian candidate for Ramaswamy to drop out.

The ad

In the ad, Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, repeatedly calls Acton a liar about her past. Ramaswamy confirmed Tuesday evening that his campaign made the ad, and his campaign told Axios it plans to spend $4 million running it statewide, the Ohio Capital Journal reported. Campaign spokesperson Connie Luck said it will run online and on TV in the closing days of the race, 10TV reported.

Acton has said she was removed from her mother’s custody as a child. Mahoning County court records obtained by WEWS show Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was charged with raping her when she was 12. He pleaded not guilty, posted bond and fled, and was a fugitive until his death in 2004, according to the records as reported by WEWS and the Ohio Capital Journal.

Secretary of State reviewing complaints

Secretary of State Frank LaRose told ABC 6 that his office has received complaints about the ad. He would not discuss specifics but said reviews check whether an ad has the proper disclaimer and is paid for by a permissible source. Complaints go to the Ohio Election Integrity Commission, a bipartisan body housed in his office, which usually issues a disposition within a month or two, he said. If a violation is found, a fine is typically issued.

“Candidates will answer for their own ads,” LaRose said. “I probably wouldn’t run an ad like that, but every candidate gets to make their own decision.”

In a statement to 10TV, the office said it “has been asked to review the ad’s compliance with legal disclaimer requirements” and “follows a fair process to adjudicate them as efficiently as possible.” 10TV reported the ad did not include a disclaimer saying who paid for it. Campaign rules are explained on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.

What Ramaswamy says

“For our part, we believe that the best way to do this would be to have an open debate between the two candidates,” Ramaswamy told reporters, according to 10TV. “But in absence of that, I do think voters deserve answers about both candidates’ background.”

He said Acton’s mother was not paid to appear. “To be clear, this is not new. Her mother has spoken out for years, and I don’t know Amy Acton’s mother and I’ve never met Amy Acton either. What I do know is that Amy Acton has been repeatedly and serially dishonest during this campaign,” he said. Acton declined to debate Ramaswamy in September, citing what her campaign called inaccurate attack ads.

What Acton says

After a campaign stop on a Wyandot County farm Wednesday, Acton told 10TV the ad was “a horrible thing to do.”

“A sad thing, and I feel like it was an exploitative thing to do. My mother is not well,” Acton said. “So, I think it’s despicable.” She said she has not seen her mother since 1978, when she was 12, and that she and her brother “experienced extreme abuse and neglect over a period of many years.”

Acton denied Ramaswamy’s claim that she has spread lies about him and his family. Her campaign spokesperson, Addie Bullock, called the $4 million ad buy “both despicable and entirely predictable,” the Ohio Capital Journal reported. The Acton campaign has released its own ad featuring her younger brother, Phil Stearns, criticizing Ramaswamy.

Vance: ‘Stop whining’

Speaking at a campaign rally in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Vance defended Ramaswamy. “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,” Vance said, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. “If you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days.”

Not all Ohio Republicans agree. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted told the Associated Press, “I would not have run that ad.” Former Ohio House Speaker Ryan Smith, a Republican, also criticized Vance’s comments on social media. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democrat running against Husted, called the ad “disgusting.”

Libertarian calls on Ramaswamy to withdraw

At a news conference in Ottawa, Libertarian governor candidate Don Kissick called on Ramaswamy to withdraw from the race, saying the ad crossed an ethical line “incompatible with the leadership Ohio deserves,” 10TV reported. Kissick said his objection was about ethics, not about defending a party or endorsing Acton. “Integrity must have a seat at every table,” he said. He also said Ramaswamy has refused his debate challenges.

Video: “Vance tells GOP to ‘stop whining’ about ad as Amy Acton speaks,” posted by CNN on YouTube on Oct. 21, 2026.

Sources

https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/ohio-secretary-of-state-reviewing-complaints-over-ad-featuring-dr-amy-actons-mother-frank-larose-election-integrity-commission-test-fine-transparency-case-political

https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/ohio-libertarian-candidate-don-kissick-urges-ramaswamy-withdraw-controversial-ad-amy-acton/530-c2d1240e-536d-4e80-9271-3ead66eabd13
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/amy-acton-calls-campaign-ad-featuring-estranged-mother-horrible/530-3bfda8df-de33-446a-8e93-0622507972e5
https://www.ohiosos.gov/