COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has denounced a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Dr. Amy Acton, taking sides with the Democratic candidate for governor and former member of his Cabinet over her Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy.
At a gathering with reporters at the Statehouse in Columbus, DeWine called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling.”
“It's wrong to run this ad,” he said. “I would urge Ramaswamy's campaign
to take this down.”
DeWine's remarks place him at odds with Ramaswamy, whom he has endorsed. The biotech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate has taken responsibility for the 60-second video, which has drawn bipartisan rebukes, and is spending $4 million to broadcast it online and on TV.
Vice President JD Vance defended an ad Wednesday which spotlights the abuse Acton experienced as a child. During a campaign visit to Ohio, Vance told reporters he was “disgusted” by fellow Republicans who were pushing back against the ad, then later drew cheers at a political rally when he defended Ramaswamy.
Vance said he has watched Democrats “throw every dirty trick in the political book at Vivek,” who he considers a close personal friend -- including calling him a ‘murderer’ — while “the whole time Vivek has stood tall and talked about what he wants to accomplish.”
In the ad, Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, calls her daughter “a liar” and insinuates that she has mental health issues. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton, and the candidate has not seen her since 1978.
Police and court records show Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with the rape of his stepdaughter, then 12, in July 1978, after Acton’s biological father reported him to authorities. The abuse allegedly happened from December 1976 to April 1978. Cledith Arthur, who has since died, failed to show for a court appearance and became a fugitive.
The video was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans when it exploded into public view Tuesday, just two weeks before Election Day.
Nikki Haley, who sparred with Ramaswamy during the 2024 Republican presidential primary over the personal nature of his attacks, called him “a bad guy” in a social media post Tuesday. “It’s a shame he continues to get away with it,” she wrote. Meghan McCain called it “dastardly” and Dan Hauser, a long-time aide to Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, said he deleted his post sharing the video once he realized “the very serious accusations that caused their issues.”
