DeWine calls for removal; Trump urges campaign on
DeWine called the ad "deeply, deeply troubling" and said, "It's wrong to run this ad." Although he asked Ramaswamy to take it down, the governor did not withdraw his endorsement of Ramaswamy as his successor, Politico reported.
Trump took the opposite position in a Truth Social post Thursday. He wrote that Ramaswamy "put up a very powerful Ad" featuring a mother describing Acton as "a liar, and much worse," and said he had told the candidate to "keep it up." According to CNBC, Trump also criticized DeWine's demand to remove the spot and said he had "no idea" about Acton's allegation that her mother's husband raped her.
Vice President JD Vance had defended the campaign's approach a day earlier while campaigning near Cincinnati. "I'll be honest with you, whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern," he told reporters. He said he was "a little bit disgusted" with Republicans he accused of "whining more about that advertisement" than about congressional Democrats, Time reported.
The family history behind the ad
The spot presents Donna Arthur, Acton's estranged mother, denouncing her daughter as a "liar." The two have not spoken since 1978, when Acton and her younger brother were removed from their mother's custody following allegations that their stepfather had raped Acton at age 12. Acton had also experienced physical and sexual abuse in the preceding years. Her mother defended him and fled with him rather than remain with her children.
The stepfather, Cledith Arthur, fled after his arrest on the rape charge. CNBC reported that he remained a fugitive until his death in Pennsylvania in 2004.
Acton's campaign answered the attack on October 20 with an ad titled "Abuse." It features her brother, Phil Stearns, describing the abuse they experienced as children. He says of Ramaswamy, "Shame on Vivek... He's not fit to lead."
Ramaswamy's campaign acknowledged paying for its ad and has said it committed $4 million to airing it. AdImpact recorded nearly $95,000 in spending through October 22, covering more than 100 airings, primarily in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Campaign manager Jonathan Ewing defended the strategy to Axios: "This is a campaign-ending moment for Amy Acton. The people who know her best keep warning Ohioans about her."
Republican critics warn of political damage
The objections extend beyond DeWine. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley called Ramaswamy a "bad guy" on X, while former Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said the ad "crosses the line" and should be removed. Lydia Mihalik, a member of DeWine's cabinet, said exploiting childhood trauma is wrong. Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Don Kissick called for Ramaswamy to leave the race, NPR reported.
Conservative commentator Scott Jennings challenged Vance's dismissal of Republican critics during CNN's NewsNight. "That's not whining. That's warning," Jennings said. He cautioned against attacking Republicans offering advice in a state on a "knife's edge" and predicted: "It's gonna blow up in their face."
Time reported bipartisan opposition to the ad and private frustration among Republican strategists. Some believed it would increase sympathy for Acton and alienate voters, particularly women. "We've lost the plot," one strategist told the publication. Another said, "We now deserve to lose this race."
The controversy has also drawn in Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who faces Democrat Sherrod Brown in a tight Senate contest. "I would not have run that ad," Husted said, according to The Associated Press.
A toss-up race and shifting betting odds
Ohio has not elected a Democratic governor in 20 years. Nevertheless, the Cook Political Report rated this year's contest a toss-up as of October 22, NPR reported.
A Daily Kos Community account of the Kalshi betting market described a close contest through early summer, followed by erosion in Ramaswamy's support after Labor Day. Shortly before the ad appeared, the market still assigned him about a 30% chance of winning on November 3; that figure subsequently fell to 18%. Over the same period, Husted's implied chance of winning reportedly declined from about 40% to 30%. Those figures reflect betting-market prices, not polling results, and do not establish that the ad caused the changes.
Both Trump and former President Barack Obama planned to visit Ohio in the coming week to campaign for their parties' candidates, according to NPR's October 22 reporting.
