Ohio Governor Race Faces Attack Ad Targeting Amy Acton

An anonymously sourced political attack ad targeting Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton has sparked condemnation from her campaign and brother after featuring her estranged mother criticizing her character and defending Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy. The advertisement circulated on social media Monday night, but its funding and authorization remain unclear.

The advertisement features Donna Arthur accusing her daughter of dishonesty. It lacks the required disclosure identifying who paid for and authorized the commercial, according to the source report, and has not aired on television or cable.

Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, condemned the advertisement and criticized Ramaswamy over the use of his sister's childhood sexual abuse in political messaging.

"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." Stearns said.

Stearns said he and Acton were removed from the Arthurs' custody after their stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged. The siblings subsequently lived with their father.

Stearns also criticized his birth mother's relationship with the man accused of abusing Acton.

"Our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died," Stearns said. "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."

Ramaswamy's spokesperson, Connie Luck, did not directly answer whether the candidate's campaign financed the advertisement. In a statement Tuesday, she questioned Acton's credibility and argued that voters should consider the allegations before choosing a governor.

Luck addressed the dispute surrounding Acton and her mother without confirming the advertisement's origins.

"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.

The Ohio Republican Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the source report. Ramaswamy's supporters have also made other personal attacks against Acton, who had been leading in polls over the preceding month.

Acton previously served as Ohio's public health commissioner under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has publicly discussed childhood abuse by her now-deceased stepfather, Cledith Arthur.

Court records provided by Acton's campaign show that Arthur was charged in 1978 with raping her when she was between 10 and 12 years old. He pleaded not guilty. According to the source report, Arthur and Donna Arthur were released on bond and left Ohio without facing charges.

Court records show that warrants for Cledith Arthur's arrest were issued at least twice in subsequent years. The couple lived in Pennsylvania until his death in 2004.

Acton has also described experiencing poverty and homelessness during childhood. Records supplied by her campaign indicate that the family lived in a tent for a year.

In a 2019 interview with The Youngstown Vindicator, Acton described the final time she saw her mother, after she and her brother were able to live with their father.

"In the courthouse after they were charged, I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away," Acton told The Vindicator.

Acton also described the separation as the last time she saw her mother. Her campaign said that the courthouse encounter remains their final meeting.

Other aspects of Acton's personal life have resurfaced during the campaign, including a 2019 incident in which police were called to her home during what was characterized as a domestic dispute.