Ohio’s 2026 campaign for governor made history this week with a political advertisement from Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, which his campaign is promoting with a $4 million ad buy. The advertisement features Dr. Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling Acton a liar directly to the camera.
According to Acton, she has not seen her mother since she was 12 years old. The advertisement shows Arthur leaving a Mahoning County courthouse where Acton’s stepfather was charged by a grand jury in 1978 with raping Acton. The source material states Arthur stayed married to the indicted stepfather, Cledith Arthur, until his death in 2004, after they had fled to Pennsylvania to escape the charges. Donna Arthur herself has a record of convictions for theft by deception in Pennsylvania in 1996 and animal abuse in 2021. After the stepfather’s arrest, Acton and her brother went to live with their father.
The ad drew swift bipartisan backlash after it was leaked from a test poll. Dr. Amy Acton stated that making the ad "was a horrible and hideous thing to do, a sad thing, and I feel like it was an exploitive thing to do. My mother is not well." Acton’s brother confirmed the childhood abuse suffered by the siblings and criticized Ramaswamy, stating the ad "reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants."
After initially dodging direct responsibility, Ramaswamy confirmed on Tuesday evening that the ad came from his campaign and announced he would double down on the $4 million ad buy.
Vice President JD Vance of Ohio publicly backed Ramaswamy on Wednesday in his hometown of Cincinnati. Vance directed criticism at fellow Republicans, stating he was "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."
Former President Donald Trump also defended Ramaswamy on Thursday with a lengthy post on his social media site. Trump ignored the context of childhood rape, claiming Arthur’s words should be disqualifying for Acton. He took credit for suggesting Ramaswamy keep the ad up, alleged that "artificial" news was trying to demean and embarrass Ramaswamy, and called for mothers of his opponents to call their children liars. Trump stated that Arthur calling Acton a liar "took a lot of courage" and claimed the press was trying to convince the public the ad was bad "because it’s so good." He asked who wouldn’t use such an ad and confirmed he would, further alleging that Acton uncontrollably lies, cheats, and steals, while calling Ramaswamy brilliant and outstanding.
The source material highlights former President Trump's extensive record of making untrue statements, noting CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale's September column on ten years of fact-checking Trump's words, and an academic study on his "relentless dishonesty." It points out that Vance and Trump previously made what it describes as "horrid, blatant, racist lies" about Springfield, Ohio, in the 2024 Election. These statements, the source material states, formed the basis for Trump revoking legal status for protected Haitian refugees in Springfield. The source material further reports that Springfield now leads the state in year-over-year job losses, with federal job reports showing the city's labor force lost 1,100 manufacturing, leisure, and hospitality jobs, contracting 2.2% in 2025 alone.
In contrast to Vance and Trump, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine expressed strong disapproval of the advertisement. Gathering reporters in the Statehouse rotunda on Thursday, Governor DeWine stated the ad was "deeply, deeply, deeply troubling" and emphasized, "It needs to come down."
