Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, called on Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday to stop airing a campaign ad that features the estranged mother of Democrat Amy Acton. Ramaswamy is the Republican nominee to succeed DeWine, and DeWine has endorsed him 12.
DeWine called a news conference at the Ohio Statehouse to address the controversy. He said the ad is "deeply, deeply troubling" on its face 1.
So it’s wrong to run this ad, and even at this late time — my wife, Fran, saw the ad run this morning on TV — I would just urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down.
What is in the ad
The minute-long spot features Donna Arthur, who calls her daughter a "liar" and urges Ohioans not to vote for her. The campaign backed it with a $4 million purchase of statewide airtime 1.
Acton has said she was sexually abused as a child by her mother's husband. She has said she has not seen or spoken to her mother in nearly 50 years 1. According to documents provided by Acton's campaign, he was charged in 1978 with raping Acton, pleaded not guilty and left the area while out on bond. The case never went to trial 2.
The abuse claims are not mentioned in the ad. DeWine, who talked about prosecuting sexual assault cases earlier in his career, said knowing the backstory makes the ad "more wrong" 1.
A split among Republicans
DeWine is not changing his endorsement. "I endorse the whole ticket," he said 1. He declined to say whether he had spoken with the Ramaswamy campaign 2.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who faces a tough reelection fight against Democrat Sherrod Brown, said Wednesday he "would not have run that ad" 12. Vice President JD Vance has downplayed the outrage. He told reporters the question of whether the ad was appropriate "is not really my concern" 12.
President Trump said Wednesday, "I know nothing about it" 2.
The campaigns respond
Ramaswamy's campaign did not back down. Spokesperson Connie Luck said "the first and only candidate to attack the mother of her opponent in this race was Amy Acton." She said Democrats have used the family members of Republicans in ads before 12.
Acton said on CNN that she had hoped Ramaswamy "wouldn't sink this low, but of course he did." She said some Republicans "just don't have the courage" to speak out 2.
The two Republicans have a history. Acton served as DeWine's health director in the early days of the Covid pandemic, and he has defended her against attacks from Ramaswamy and his allies. DeWine also was not initially sold on Ramaswamy running for governor 1.
That matters because it is a Republican governor, not a Democratic rival, calling the ad wrong, and he is doing so as early voting is underway in a closely watched race. Ramaswamy has so far kept the ad on the air. The election is Nov. 3.
The Record
- Acton's stepfather was charged with raping her when she was a child; he pleaded not guilty, left the area on bond, and the case never went to trial, per documents from her campaign 2.
- Ramaswamy confirmed the ad was from his campaign after it first circulated on social media 2.
- DeWine urged the Ramaswamy campaign to take the ad down but said he is not changing his endorsement 12.
Sources
- NBC News, “Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine calls on Vivek Ramaswamy to take down ad featuring opponent's estranged mother” (2026-10-22). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/ohio-mike-dewine-vivek-ra
- CBS News, “GOP officials divided over Ramaswamy ad with Acton's mom” (2026-10-22). cbsnews.com/news/vivek-ramaswamy-ad-amy-acton-mother-republi
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