Ramaswamy stops airing ad on Acton's mother after Republicans and Democrats object

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, confirmed Thursday that his campaign is no longer airing an attack ad that features the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. The ad had drawn what The Guardian called a wave of revulsion. ¹

A reporter in Vandalia, Ohio, asked Ramaswamy whether the campaign had stopped running the ad. He answered: “It ran to completion and we put up four other ads.” He did not apologize in the remarks reported. ¹

On tapeWBNS 10TV · Oct 30

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What the ad was about

The ad features Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, who lost custody of her daughter in 1978. That year her second husband, Cledith Arthur, was charged with raping Acton when she was between 10 and 12 years old. Court records show Arthur lived in a tent when he was arrested. ¹

Ramaswamy's campaign announced last week that it would spend $4 million to broadcast the ad. ¹ The campaign later edited the original 60-second version down to 30 seconds. It removed the mother's claim that her daughter had lied about the family living in a tent. ¹

Reporting from NBC News and Zeteo suggests Acton's mother has had mental health challenges. It also says some people who helped produce the ad were troubled by that. ¹

Republicans objected too

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said last week that the ad should come down. He said he was not changing his endorsement, noting he endorsed the whole Republican ticket. Former Republican Gov. John Kasich also called for the ad to be pulled. ²

It was wrong to run this ad.

Donald Trump repeatedly defended the ad, including at a rally with Ramaswamy on Wednesday. According to The Guardian, he refused to acknowledge that the child rape allegation bore on the credibility of Acton's mother. ¹ Trump also called DeWine a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) on Truth Social. ²

Acton's response

Acton's campaign released a new ad Thursday accusing Ramaswamy of exploiting the sexual abuse of a child. ¹ At an event the same day, Acton spoke about her childhood. She said she and her brother lived with abuse and neglect and ended up “living in a tent in the middle of winter.” ¹

My opponent has now chosen to exploit my childhood intentionally

Ramaswamy used his remarks to say he wanted the campaign's close to be about policy. He then criticized Acton for not debating him. ¹

Why it matters

That matters because the ad is ending days before the vote, after $4 million was committed to it and after Republicans from DeWine to Kasich said it was wrong. The pattern is a campaign trying to move on while its party's leader keeps defending the ad. ¹²

Ohio votes for governor on Tuesday, November 3. Ramaswamy says the ad ran its course. Acton's campaign is using it in its own closing message. ¹

The Record

1. Jan 1, 1978Acton's mother lost custody of her daughter after her second husband was charged with raping the girl. ¹
2. Oct 28, 2026Trump defended the ad at a rally with Ramaswamy in Ohio. ¹
3. Oct 29, 2026Ramaswamy confirmed the campaign is no longer airing the ad, and Acton's campaign released a response ad. ¹

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Vivek Ramaswamy discontinues attack ad that prompted wave of revulsion” (2026-10-30). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/29/vivek-ramaswamy-attack-a
2. NBC4 WCMH-TV, “Ohio governor calls for Ramaswamy to pull ad featuring Acton's mother” (2026-10-22). nbc4i.com/news/politics/ohio-governor-calls-for-ramaswamy-to

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