Ohio Gubernatorial Race Enters Bitter Final Stretch as Republican Ad Targets Democrat Amy Acton’s Childhood

The fiercely contested Ohio gubernatorial race has taken a bitter personal turn in its final days as Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign released an advertisement featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother, who attempts to dispute the well-documented childhood sexual abuse her daughter experienced.

The minute-long ad, which began circulating on social media before Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign was responsible for it, features Donna Arthur claiming that her daughter has “lied her entire life.” In the spot, Arthur asserts that Acton needs help and is unfit to lead.

Court records and historical local media reports contradict Arthur’s assertions, confirming key aspects of Acton’s account. Donna Arthur lost custody of Acton and her younger brother in 1978 after her second husband, Cledith Arthur, was arrested, charged, and indicted for raping Acton when she was 12 years old. Following the indictment, Cledith Arthur failed to appear for a court hearing and fled the state with Donna Arthur. The couple remained married until Cledith Arthur died in Pennsylvania in 2004. Acton has stated publicly that she has not seen her mother since that 1978 court appearance.

Acton, a pediatrician and former state health director under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, has spoken openly during the campaign about enduring abuse and neglect while in her mother’s custody, noting that her family briefly lived in a tent before she and her brother went to live with their biological father. Responding to the ad in a Facebook post, Acton wrote that her birth mother did nothing to protect her and criticized Ramaswamy for exploiting her for political gain.

Ohio’s gubernatorial contest stands out as one of the most competitive races in the United States, despite the state backing Republican Donald Trump in recent presidential cycles. Acton is seeking to become Ohio’s first elected female governor and the first Democrat to win the office since 2006. Recent nonpartisan polls indicate she holds a 4-to-9 point lead over Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate.

The campaign has largely avoided substantive policy debates, with neither candidate facing a competitive primary that forced a detailed policy rollout. Instead, the airwaves have been dominated by personal attacks. Ramaswamy and his allies have attempted to paint Acton as unfit, pointing to a 2019 domestic incident where police were called over an argument involving Acton and her husband. Officers found the dispute had ended, and Acton’s husband subsequently took responsibility for starting the argument, stating his wife had consumed a single drink. The Ohio Republican Party nevertheless utilized a computer-generated image of Acton’s vehicle with the license plate “Drunk Mom.”

Earlier in the campaign, Ramaswamy shared a video suggesting Acton had no positive vision other than complaining about her past, and a super PAC funded by out-of-state billionaires—including Elon Musk—ran ads highlighting Acton’s disclosure on a medical licensing application that she sought therapy to process childhood trauma.

Following its release, the ad featuring Donna Arthur drew sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Television personality Meghan McCain denounced the spot as “dastardly,” while Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown called it “disgusting.” A Republican member of Governor DeWine’s cabinet also condemned the advertisement, and court records corroborating Acton’s account were published by the conservative National Review.

President Donald Trump defended the ad to reporters, stating he was unaware of its specifics but did not believe it reflected poorly on Ramaswamy. Vice President JD Vance similarly urged Republicans to stop complaining about campaign advertisements and focus on winning the race.

In response to the spot, Acton’s campaign released a counter-ad featuring her younger brother, Phil Stearns. Stearns defended his sister, stating that she discusses her past not to complain, but because it forms a core part of her resilience and character. reported that the Ramaswamy campaign planned to spend $4 million to broadcast the ad before Election Day.