Ramaswamy Ad With Acton's Mother: DeWine, Trump React
Late on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, a minute-long ad began circulating in Ohio's governor's race. In it, Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic nominee Amy Acton, calls her daughter "a liar" and urges Ohioans not to vote for her. Acton, the state's former health director, has said she has not spoken to her mother since she was about 12. She says her stepfather sexually abused her as a child and her mother did nothing to protect her. Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, released a video for her campaign saying their mother "stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died." Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign at first would not say who made the ad. On Oct. 20 it said it had produced the ad and would spend about $4 million to promote it. The ad split Ohio Republicans in the last two weeks before the Nov. 3 election. On Oct. 21, Sen. Jon Husted, who is on the ballot himself against Sherrod Brown, told the AP he "would not have run that ad," and Secretary of State Frank LaRose said he "probably wouldn't." The same day, Vice President JD Vance, campaigning in Cincinnati, told fellow Republicans to "stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race." On Oct. 22, Gov. Mike DeWine held a Statehouse news conference to call the ad "deeply, deeply troubling" and urge Ramaswamy to take it down, though he said he was not withdrawing his endorsement. Hours later, President Trump posted that Ramaswamy "should keep it up," called the ad "hitting pay dirt," and called DeWine "disloyal to the Republican Party." A mid-October Marist poll had Acton ahead 50% to 43% among likely voters.
“[On Truth Social, after DeWine's news conference:] The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it's so good! Who wouldn't use such an Ad? I would, it's called, "hitting pay dirt." … I suggested, on the other hand, that Vivek should keep it up, and let everyone listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate, explain how the daughter is a DISASTER … If my mother, the legendary Mary MacLeod Trump, said anything bad about me, the Fake News would play it up. … The Dumocrats would be totally supportive, and it would go down as the Ad of the Decade — Maybe the Century! … [DeWine] was, as usual, disloyal to the Republican Party. … He probably wants a Dumocrat to win … I know the real Vivek, he is a brilliant and outstanding person who will cut Taxes, stop Crime and, MAKE OHIO GREAT AGAIN.”