Acton Campaign Condemns Attack Ad in Ohio Governor Race

A social media advertisement targeting Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton has drawn condemnation from her campaign after her mother appeared in the video calling her daughter a liar and urging voters not to support her. The ad has also prompted a public response from Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, amid questions about its origins.

According to Cleveland19 News, the advertisement circulated online ahead of the Ohio governor's election. The outlet said it could not establish whether the campaign of Acton's opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, was responsible for producing or distributing the video.

The Acton campaign characterized her mother as estranged and abusive in its response to the advertisement. The controversy has brought allegations about Acton's family history into the gubernatorial contest.

Ramaswamy's campaign had not responded to Cleveland19 News' request for comment as of noon Tuesday, according to the outlet's report published October 20, 2026.

Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, issued a statement condemning the advertisement and accusing Ramaswamy of exploiting his sister's childhood sexual abuse for political purposes. His statement alleged that the abuse was committed by their birth mother's husband when Acton was 12 years old.

Stearns also described what happened after the alleged abuse came to light, saying the man was arrested and that he and Acton were removed from their custody. He said their birth mother remained married to the man until his death.

In his statement, Stearns directly criticized what he characterized as an attempt to use the family's history against his sister.

"It's not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point... After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died. This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants." Stearns said in the statement.

Cleveland19 News said it had previously conducted individual interviews with both Acton and Ramaswamy before the advertisement appeared. The outlet made the complete interview clips available for viewers, while the question of who was behind the ad remained unresolved in its report.