Republican Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy ended his attack advertisement featuring opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother on October 29, 2026, after spending $1 million of a planned $4 million run. The spot drew bipartisan condemnation from leaders including Governor Mike DeWine, while President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended it. Polls showed Acton holding a lead over Ramaswamy following the ad's broadcast.
Ramaswamy ending the attack ad
- ▪Vivek Ramaswamy stated on October 29, 2026, that the attack ad featuring Donna Arthur had run to completion and that his campaign transitioned to running four replacement commercials.
- ▪Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stopped airing an attack ad featuring opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother
Ramaswamy attack ad spending
- ▪Vivek Ramaswamy's gubernatorial campaign initially announced plans to invest $4 million to broadcast the attack ad featuring Donna Arthur statewide on television and online.
- ▪Data from ad-tracking firm AdImpact showed that Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign spent approximately $1 million broadcasting the attack ad before ending its television run.
Acton campaign responses
- ▪Amy Acton's campaign released a new advertisement on October 29, 2026, accusing Vivek Ramaswamy of exploiting her childhood sexual abuse.
- ▪Amy Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock stated on October 29, 2026, that Vivek Ramaswamy should never have aired the attack ad and criticized him for taking it off the air without an apology.
Reactions to Ramaswamy attack ad
- ▪Incumbent Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine criticized Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad as deeply troubling and called on the candidate to remove it from the airwaves.
- ▪Former Republican Ohio governors Bob Taft and John Kasich, along with Republican Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted, publicly opposed or criticized Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad.
- ▪President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad, with Trump stating that Amy Acton was fair game and Vance telling critics to stop whining.
Acton childhood abuse records
- ▪Court records indicate that Cledith Arthur lived in a tent at the time of his arrest on rape charges and died without facing trial after leaving the area while free on bond.
- ▪Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton was removed from mother Donna Arthur's custody in 1978 at age 12 after her stepfather Cledith Arthur was indicted on charges of raping Acton.
Ohio gubernatorial race polling
- ▪A Suffolk University-USA Today survey of 500 likely Ohio voters conducted October 21–26, 2026, showed Amy Acton leading Vivek Ramaswamy 48% to 44% with a 4.4 percentage point error margin.
- ▪An Axios report on a Republican-commissioned poll of 800 likely Ohio voters conducted October 23–26, 2026, showed Amy Acton leading Vivek Ramaswamy 50% to 42%.
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