Ramaswamy ad featuring Acton's mother appears to backfire in Ohio governor race

An attack ad from Republican Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appears to have helped his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, according to a new poll released as the midterm election nears. The Suffolk University-USA TODAY Ohio survey found Acton leading Ramaswamy 48 percent to 44 percent, with Libertarian Don Kissick at 3.6 percent ¹.

The poll of 500 likely Ohio voters was conducted October 21 to 26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The four-point gap means the race remains statistically too close to call ¹.

On tapeAssociated Press · Oct 23

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The ad, released October 22, featured Acton's estranged mother criticizing her daughter's account of her childhood and political record. Seventy-two percent of respondents said they had seen or heard about it within days of its release ¹.

The survey found the ad persuaded just one respondent to shift support from Acton to Ramaswamy, while seven said it moved them from Ramaswamy to Acton ¹. Ramaswamy has committed more than $4 million to air the commercial through Election Day, despite calls from Republican Governor Mike DeWine and former Governor John Kasich to withdraw it ¹.

Ramaswamy is standing by the ad. In comments reported by The Hill, he said, "The fact of the matter is I am running against somebody who is crazy, unstable and DISHONEST." He also said his opponent should agree to debate him ².

Acton responded, "My opponent has chosen to exploit intentionally my childhood to save his struggling campaign but it's not going to work" ². The Cleveland Plain Dealer broke its policy against endorsing candidates in statewide races to back Acton because of the ad, writing that a candidate who uses childhood sexual abuse as a weapon "has crossed a line that Ohioans should defend, whatever their party" ².

On tapeCNN · Oct 21

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DeWine, who endorsed Ramaswamy, has condemned the ad as "deeply, deeply troubling" and "just plain wrong," and urged him to pull it down ². A Fox News poll cited by The Hill puts Acton ahead 50 percent to 48 percent among likely voters ².

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, told The Columbus Dispatch that "You only do an ad like that if you're trailing by a large margin," describing it as a "Hail Mary strategy" ¹.

Brenda Malcolm, an independent voter from Columbus' Northland neighborhood, said the ad left her leaning toward Acton. "It just totally ticked me off," she said. "To go contact a mother that hasn't seen her daughter in 50 years and get this statement from her. The mother doesn't know anything about Amy" ¹.

That matters because with the election six days away, the controversy keeps attention on Ramaswamy's judgment rather than the issues his campaign wants to press ². The pattern is a gamble that, in this poll, appears to have moved more voters toward his opponent than toward him ¹.

The Record

1. Oct 22, 2026Ramaswamy's campaign releases the ad featuring Acton's estranged mother ¹.
2. Oct 26, 2026The Suffolk University-USA TODAY Ohio poll of 500 likely voters concludes ¹.
3. Oct 27, 2026The Hill reports Ramaswamy is standing by the ad despite backlash ².
4. Oct 28, 2026Newsweek reports the poll showing Acton ahead 48% to 44% ¹.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Vivek Ramaswamy Attack Ad Backfires As Ohioans Switch Votes to Amy Acton” (2026-10-28). newsweek.com/vivek-ramaswamy-attack-ad-ohio-switch-votes-amy
2. The Hill, “Vivek Ramaswamy stands by terrible Amy Acton ad, but it's backfiring” (2026-10-27). thehill.com/opinion/lindseys-lens/6175421-ramaswamy-backlash

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