Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine condemned a Vivek Ramaswamy ad featuring Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton's estranged mother but did not rescind his endorsement of the GOP nominee. DeWine did call for the ad to be taken down.
The ad, which is airing between now and Election Day, features Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her upbringing. Acton hasn't talked to Arthur since she was 12 years old, when Arthur's husband and Acton's stepfather was charged with rape for sexually abusing a young Acton.
"It was just wrong to run this ad," said DeWine after talking about his history as a county prosecutor defending child rape victims. "The
ad on its face is deeply, deeply troubling but when you know the rest of the story, when you know the backstory, when you know that the husband of the mom was indicted by a grand jury after hearing testimony and that he took off along with the mother and that two children never saw the mother after that. When you know that, it just to me, makes it more serious. It makes it just more wrong."
DeWine called on Ramaswamy to take down the ad, but said he wouldn't pull his support of Ramaswamy and the GOP ticket, which includes his former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted running in the U.S. Senate race.
Ramaswamy has doubled down on the ad, saying that voters should know that those closest to Acton think she's a liar.
Fellow Republicans on the 2026 ballot, Sen. Jon Husted and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, have said they would not have run the ad.
DeWine endorsed Ramaswamy for governor in January 2026 after the biotech entrepreneur picked Ohio Senate President Rob McColley as his running mate. But DeWine has spoken favorably of Acton, his former health director during the COVID-19 pandemic.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gov. Mike DeWine condemns Ramaswamy ad featuring Acton's estranged mom
