Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday in Ohio that he is "disgusted" by Republican pushback against an ad from Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor. The 60-second spot features the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, and raises questions about her traumatic childhood 1.
Speaking in Cincinnati, Vance said it was "not really my concern" whether the ad was appropriate. He said he was focused on supporting Republican candidates, and he told reporters Acton "lies about every single one of her positions" 1.
What the ad says
In the ad, a woman named Donna Arthur urges voters not to back her daughter. NPR's reporting from WOSU Public Media in Columbus says the ad disputes the story Acton has told for years about a difficult childhood, including a time when she and her younger brother were homeless 2.
At first, the video carried no disclosure of who paid for it. On Tuesday, Ramaswamy told reporters it came from his campaign 2. He has since said he will spend $4 million to promote it, despite backlash from some in his own party 1.
I would love for this race, in this election, to be about the substantive issues that impact Ohioans.
Acton's account and the records
Acton is Ohio's former health director. She says she was raped by her stepfather and that she and her mother have been estranged for more than 50 years 12.
Police and court records show her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged in July 1978 with raping her when she was 12. The abuse allegedly happened from December 1976 to April 1978 1. NPR reports that court records produced by the campaign, which WOSU verified, show the family lived in a tent and that her mother lost custody of Acton and her brother 2.
NPR also reports the stepfather left the state before he could be tried and is now deceased 2. On Tuesday, Acton's campaign posted a video of her brother backing her account of living in a tent and being abused 1.
I was removed from her at the age of 12 - my brother was 9 - for child abuse and neglect that got bad enough we were actually living in a tent in the middle of winter.
Republicans split
NPR reports that Vance told the Ohio rally that Ramaswamy was right to run an ad that "calls Amy Acton a liar" 2. Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador who ran against Ramaswamy in the 2024 presidential primary, criticized him in a post on X 2. Libertarian candidate Don Kissick called on Ramaswamy to drop out 2.
Ohio has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006, and Donald Trump has won the state three times. Even so, the Cook Political Report rates this race a toss-up 2. Bowling Green State University political scientist Robert Alexander said the ad could backfire on Ramaswamy and that Acton's story makes her seem resilient 2.
What happens next
Trump and former President Barack Obama both plan to campaign in Ohio in the coming week, NPR reports 2. Election Day is November 3.
That matters because the ad turns the final stretch away from issues and toward a family estrangement rooted in an alleged crime against a child. Acton has refused to debate Ramaswamy, and Alexander, who sits on the state debate commission and wants a debate, said the ad makes her choice easier to understand 2.
The Record
- Police and court records show Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Amy Acton, after her biological father reported him 1.
- Ohio elected its last Democratic governor in 2006 2.
- Ramaswamy told reporters the ad featuring Acton's mother came from his campaign; Acton's campaign posted a video of her brother backing her account 12.
- Vance said in Cincinnati that he is "disgusted" by Republican pushback against the ad; Ramaswamy said he will spend $4 million to promote it 1.
Sources
- PBS NewsHour / AP, “WATCH: Vance says he's 'disgusted' by Republicans 'whining' about Ramaswamy attack ad” (2026-10-21). pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-vance-says-hes-disgusted-by-
- NPR, “Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad features mother of Amy Acton, who alleges childhood abuse” (2026-10-21). npr.org/2026/10/21/nx-s1-6010530/vivek-ramaswamys-attack-ad-
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