A high-profile campaign advertisement launched by Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio gubernatorial race is drawing severe backlash from within his own party, with private polling indicating the commercial has severely damaged his standing against Democratic candidate Amy Acton.
The private survey, commissioned by a Republican group and conducted among 800 likely Ohio voters between Oct. 23 and Oct. 26, revealed that Acton holds an eight-point lead over Ramaswamy, standing at 50% compared to Ramaswamy’s 42%. Earlier in the month, prior to the commercial’s wider circulation, internal numbers showed Acton leading by just two points, with Ramaswamy at 45%. The survey carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points for each candidate.
The flashpoint centers on an explosive commercial featuring Donna Arthur, Acton’s estranged mother. In the spot, Arthur accuses her daughter of dishonesty regarding her childhood and urges voters to reject her at the ballot box. Acton has previously stated that she was sexually abused by her stepfather at age 12 and that her mother sided with the abuser. According to Acton, her stepfather was charged with sexual assault but fled to Pennsylvania, where he died as a fugitive in 2004. Acton and her brother were subsequently removed from their mother’s custody, and Acton has reported having no contact with her mother since 1978.
Ramaswamy’s camp initially staked heavily on the commercial, committing $4 million to a statewide television buy despite warnings from fellow Republicans that the strategy crossed ethical boundaries. An accompanying memo from the private poll noted that the spot is having a significant negative effect on the campaign, finding that 86% of respondents were aware of the ad. Among those familiar with the commercial, voters indicated by a 2-to-1 margin that it made them more likely to support Acton.
The fallout has exposed deep divisions among prominent conservative figures. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine publicly condemned the decision to air the commercial, calling it wrong and demanding its removal. Conversely, President Trump and Vice President Vance threw their support behind Ramaswamy, with Vance dismissing bipartisan critics of the ad by telling them to stop complaining. Trump is scheduled to campaign alongside Ramaswamy and U.S. Sen. Jon Husted in Chillicothe, Ohio, on Wednesday evening.
Beyond the gubernatorial contest, national Republican strategists express growing anxiety that the controversy could drag down down-ballot candidates, specifically threatening Husted’s reelection bid for the U.S. Senate in a state that could prove decisive for control of the chamber. Husted has publicly distanced himself from the strategy, stating he would not have run such an ad. A GOP operative briefed on ongoing race metrics warned that Ramaswamy’s tactics have placed the entire state ticket on the defensive.
Contrasting data from a separate Suffolk University survey depicted a somewhat narrower race, showing Acton ahead of Ramaswamy by four points, which represented an improvement from a nine-point deficit recorded by Suffolk in late September.
Ramaswamy has defended the commercial, asserting that Acton has misrepresented her past and evaded substantive policy debates facing Ohio residents. A representative for the Ramaswamy campaign declined to comment on the latest polling data.
