Acton Challenges Unattributed Ad Featuring Estranged Mother in Ohio Race

An online political advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton intensified a dispute with Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy on October 20, 2026, as the candidates approached Election Day. Acton accused her opponent of exploiting her childhood experiences of abuse, while Ramaswamy's campaign issued a statement attacking her credibility without identifying who produced the video.

The one-minute advertisement featuring Donna Arthur, Acton's biological mother, began circulating on social media late Monday, according to ABC News and the Associated Press. Arthur accuses her daughter of lying about her past, but the video's producer, funding and authenticity have not been independently established. The circulating version contains no disclosure identifying who paid for it.

Ohio political blogger D.J. Brynes, who publishes as The Rooster, told CNN he obtained the recording from a voter who had seen it during a poll. It remained unclear whether Arthur was compensated for appearing in the advertisement or whether it was distributed through television broadcasts.

Acton, a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, suggested Ramaswamy was responsible. Speaking to Spectrum News on Tuesday, she connected the advertisement to her history of childhood abuse and criticized what she described as a recurring pattern of personal attacks.

"I won't normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I'm complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse," Acton told Spectrum News.

Acton also recalled criticism she said Ramaswamy directed at her during his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

"This is a lifelong pattern with my opponent," Acton said.

Ramaswamy's campaign did not directly confirm or deny involvement in producing the advertisement. Spokesperson Connie Luck instead questioned Acton's honesty and argued that voters should examine her record before choosing a governor.

"We don't know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor," Luck said.

Luck's statement also accused Acton of misrepresenting Ramaswamy and his family, making false claims about her own record and avoiding debates. The campaign said Ramaswamy had accepted invitations from CNN and WLWT and was prepared to defend his record publicly.

Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, defended her and condemned the use of their childhood experiences in the campaign dispute. In a statement released by Acton's campaign, he said the siblings were removed from their mother's custody after their stepfather faced charges involving the sexual abuse of Acton.

"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 12 years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point," Stearns said.

He also described their mother's relationship with the man accused of abusing his sister.

"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," Stearns said.

Later Tuesday, Acton's campaign released a response advertisement featuring Stearns. He criticized Ramaswamy's treatment of his sister and argued that the episode reflected poorly on the Republican candidate's suitability for office.

"Shame on Vivek," Stearns said in the response advertisement, adding that Ramaswamy demonstrated contempt for Acton and Ohio.

Police and court records obtained by The Associated Press document the criminal case against Cledith Arthur, Acton's stepfather. He was arrested and charged in July 1978 after Acton's biological father reported the alleged abuse to authorities. The alleged abuse occurred between December 1976 and April 1978, when Acton was a child.

Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty and was indicted by a grand jury in September 1978. He subsequently failed to appear at a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981, according to the records. He died in 2004.

Acton has said she has not seen her mother since they appeared together in court in 1978. In a 2019 interview with the Youngstown Vindicator, she described an unstable childhood and said her mother's second husband had molested her between ages 9 and 12. A newspaper report from August 1978 corroborated that her stepfather had been referred to a grand jury in connection with the rape of a 12-year-old girl.

Political figures from both parties criticized the advertisement after it spread online. Donald Trump Jr. and influencer Laura Loomer amplified the video, while Meghan McCain condemned it as dastardly. Dan Hauser, a strategist for Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, said he deleted his repost after recognizing the seriousness of the underlying allegations.

Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown also criticized the advertisement and called on political figures, including his opponent, Sen. Jon Husted, to condemn it. Husted's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the Associated Press.

The controversy unfolded approximately two weeks before Election Day in a closely contested Ohio governor's race. Ramaswamy, a billionaire and former 2024 presidential candidate, had benefited from more than $120 million in spending on his behalf, according to the Associated Press.