Vivek Ramaswamy pulls political attack ad featuring opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother
Photo: ABC Action News (WFTS) — News
Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy ended the broadcast run of a controversial campaign advertisement featuring his Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton's estranged mother after spending approximately $1 million instead of the initially planned $4 million. The ad drew widespread criticism from politicians across the political spectrum because it featured Donna Arthur calling her daughter a lifelong liar despite the two having had no contact for nearly 50 years.
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The commercial's early withdrawal concludes a prominent campaign dispute that drew interventions from national political figures and state officials over the boundaries of personal attacks in political media, with total expenditures reaching about $1 million.
Key Facts
- Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy ended the broadcast run of a controversial attack ad featuring his opponent's estranged mother.
- The campaign originally stated it would invest $4 million to air the ad, but ad-tracking data from AdImpact shows actual spending reached approximately $1 million.
- The advertisement featured Donna Arthur calling her daughter, Dr. Amy Acton, a lifelong liar.
- Acton and her mother had not seen each other for nearly 50 years prior to the ad.
- Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978 after her husband was indicted for raping Acton at age 12.
- President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance stated they supported airing the ad, with Trump telling Ramaswamy to leave it on the air.
- Past and present Ohio governors and alumni of Ramaswamy's high school urged him to pull the advertisement down.
- Dr. Amy Acton's campaign labeled the ad despicable and called for an apology.