Ohio Mailer Misstates Actons Medical Record and Immigration Remarks

A political mailer supporting Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has come under scrutiny after a review found inaccuracies in its descriptions of Democratic candidate Amy Acton's medical record and public statements. Popular Information examined the mailer distributed by V-PAC, a super PAC supporting Ramaswamy, and identified claims that did not match the underlying documents and recordings.

The findings included an unsupported characterization of Acton's medical competence, a statement about undocumented immigrants that she did not make, and descriptions of her political views. The scrutiny adds to questions about the accuracy of campaign advertising in Ohio's 2026 gubernatorial race.

According to Popular Information, V-PAC had assembled a $42 million war chest. Major contributors included Jeff Yass, who gave $20 million; Ross Stevens, $6 million; Elon Musk, $5 million; Ratmir Timashev, $5 million; and Bill Ackman, $1 million.

The publication obtained the mailer through an Ohio voter as part of its Paid For By project, which investigates political mailers and identifies the organizations behind them.

The mailer claimed that Acton had been deemed "incompetent" by the Ohio State Medical Board. However, Popular Information reviewed her 1994 medical licensing application, a 23-page document that did not contain that description.

The application included assessments of Acton's medical knowledge during her pediatric residency. A supervising physician described her knowledge as "insufficient" at the beginning of her residency in 1990, while another physician later rated it as "excellent."

Conor McGuinness, V-PAC's spokesperson, acknowledged that the application did not describe Acton as incompetent and attributed the wording to an editing error.

"This was simply a typo that appeared on one piece of mail — our copy editor missed it," said Conor McGuinness, V-PAC spokesperson.

The mailer also characterized Acton as "TOO RADICAL" and attributed to her a position suggesting that undocumented immigrants who took jobs from American workers had a right to remain in the country. Popular Information found that she did not make that statement during a September 10, 2025, appearance on Better Bad Ideas w/ Sean O'Brien.

During the interview, Acton discussed Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, distinguishing residents with legal status from undocumented immigrants. She challenged a discussion about businesses employing undocumented workers by explaining that Haitian residents with legal status were working for local businesses. McGuinness did not respond to a request for comment on this allegation.

The mailer also accused Acton of supporting socialist Zohran Mamdani and his agenda. At a June 25, 2025, event broadcast by Ideastream Public Media, Acton discussed Mamdani's victory in the mayoral primary and praised his focus on everyday concerns.

"was very successful at bringing joy and reminding us his main focus was on costs and everyday issues," Acton said of Mamdani, according to the event cited by Popular Information.

Another section labeled Acton "UNHINGED" and questioned her response to a 1994 medical board application asking about alcohol or substance misuse. Acton answered "NO" on the application, which was completed 25 years before a domestic dispute involving her and her husband in 2019.

According to the police account cited by Popular Information, officers found "no evidence of any physical violence" and described the incident as a "verbal dispute only" concerning Acton's working hours. Cleveland.com reported that no charges were filed in connection with the incident.

In a statement published in April, Acton's husband, Eric, accepted responsibility for the circumstances that led police to their home.

"Seven years ago, I had too much to drink while Amy only had one drink," said Eric, Acton's husband. "I take responsibility for my actions that led to the police coming to our home, which was ultimately the result of a single fight between two people who love each other very much."