Ramaswamy Attack Ad in Ohio Faces Republican Criticism

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy ran an attack ad on his opponent, Democrat Amy Acton, featuring her estranged mother. Outlets across the political spectrum covered Republican criticism of the ad and Vice President JD Vance's defense of Ramaswamy.

The Details: Ramaswamy's campaign spent $4 million producing and airing a one-minute video featuring Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, calling Acton a "liar" with "a serious problem." In response to criticism of the ad, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy's campaign on Tuesday told Newsweek (Center bias), "we don't know what happened between Amy and her mother…but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth." Ramaswamy has said he plans to move forward with running the ad.

The Video: In the video, Arthur says, "I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent, it's not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem…She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She's lied her entire life."

For Context: Acton has spoken about her experience facing sexual abuse and homelessness during childhood and said she hasn't seen her mother since 1978. According to Newsweek, Acton's brother also said the family spent time living in a tent and that their mother lost custody of her children after her husband was arrested and charged with sexually abusing Acton.

Republican Criticism: Several outlets emphasized Republican criticism of the ad. Newsweek quoted commentator Megan McCain calling the ad "dastardly," and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley saying, "He's a bad guy. It's a shame he continues to get away with it." Washington Examiner (Lean Right) chief political correspondent Byron York said the ad was unsettling. An opinion in the National Review (Right) called it a "staggering act of bad taste." Robby Soave (Lean Right) in an opinion for The Hill (Center), wrote, "It's incredibly sickening to bother one's family members and compel them to speak ill of their relations for partisan political purposes." 

Democrat Criticism: CNN (Lean Left) political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin said, "Anyone behind [the ad] should be ashamed." AlterNet (Left) emphasized Ramaswamy's ties to the GOP. It highlighted other criticism from the left, including Jon Favreau, host of Pod Save America, saying, "What Vivek Ramaswamy has done here is despicable beyond words," and former congressman Denver Lee Riggleman III calling it a "ludicrous and scumbag ad by Vivek."

A Gamble Ahead of Midterms: The ad was described as a big "bet" and "gamble" ahead of election day by many outlets. Axios (Lean Left) wrote, "Ramaswamy is gambling that the deeply personal attack…will resonate with voters." A source close to Ramaswamy's campaign also reportedly told Axios that the ad tested well with "persuadable" voters. Many outlets on the right, including The Daily Wire (Right), New York Post (Right), Fox News (Right) and National Review, and some in the center covered Vice President JD Vance's defense of the ad, saying, "to my fellow elected Republicans is if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days."

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