An attack ad released by Ohio Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy has had the unintended consequence of drawing significant attention to Dr. Amy Acton’s personal history and her rise to prominence. The ad, which features Acton’s estranged mother calling her daughter a liar, has sparked intense condemnation across the political spectrum since it broke last week.
According to court records, Acton's stepfather was indicted for raping her during her pre-teen years. Dr. Acton has publicly discussed these allegations in the past, and her younger brother, Phil Stearns, corroborated them in a public statement on October 20. Both Acton and Stearns have stated they endured "other forms of abuse, hunger and neglect" from their mother and stepfather during their childhood.
At the time of her stepfather's indictment, Acton and her brother were removed from their home. Their mother, the individual featured in the Ramaswamy campaign ad, remained with Acton’s stepfather when he fled Ohio in the late 1970s to evade criminal charges. He passed away in Pennsylvania in 2004. Dr. Acton reports that she has not seen or communicated with her mother for nearly 50 years.
The Ramaswamy ad has been met with widespread disapproval, including from many Republicans. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Dr. Acton's former boss, also condemned the ad. In the days following the story’s emergence last week, it was widely reported across news outlets and social media platforms. The reaction from politicians and media figures, representing diverse political viewpoints, was largely uniform: many described the ad—which used Acton’s long-estranged mother to discredit her as a rape survivor—as among the most despicable campaign ads they had ever encountered. President Trump and Vice President Vance were noted as exceptions to the nearly universal backlash.
In an unexpected turn, the controversial ad has brought renewed focus to Dr. Acton's resilience and achievements. She overcame her childhood abuse and mistreatment, graduating at the top of her high school class, working through college, and earning both a medical degree and a master’s in public health. Dr. Acton ascended to high-level positions in Ohio state government, notably leading the Ohio Department of Health with steady and effective guidance during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic response in Ohio.
Her accomplishments have been recognized with multiple prestigious honors and awards. These include the Columbus Foundation’s Spirit of Columbus Award in 2020, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s Profile in COVID Courage Award in 2021, and being named USA Today Woman of the Year for Ohio in 2022, among others. As of last Friday, Dr. Acton was considered the favored candidate to win the governor’s race, according to both polling data and prediction markets. This comes even as Ohio had been widely regarded as a decidedly “red” state until last week.
Dr. Acton’s perseverance in overcoming a tragic childhood is highlighted as an inspirational American success story. The widespread negative reaction to the campaign ad, in fact, may inadvertently bolster Dr. Acton’s standing with Ohio voters for the election on November 3. The source material suggests the ad could be considered one of the most effective political advertisements of this mid-term election year, though not in the manner its promoter, Vivek Ramaswamy, had intended.
