In a new, unaired attack ad against Amy Acton, the Democrat running for governor of Ohio, her estranged mother speaks directly to the camera to accuse her of lying about her past. It was not clear who is responsible for the ad, which has drawn widespread condemnation, including from Acton’s brother.
“Don’t vote for people who lie,” says Donna Arthur — who married a man whom Acton accused of sexually abusing her as a child — in the video. “Don’t let her become your governor.”
The video began circulating online after a version without a “paid for” disclosure was posted Monday by Ohio political blog The Rooster.
On Tuesday, Philip Stearns, Acton’s brother, condemned the video in a statement released by her campaign, accusing Acton’s Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy, of a “desperate, disgusting attack.”
“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.
“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,” he added. “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.”
When asked if the Ramaswamy campaign had a hand in creating the video, spokesperson Connie Luck did not explicitly deny the campaign’s involvement.
“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, in part, in a statement to MS NOW.
Acton’s campaign spokesperson, Addie Bullock, also attributed the ad to her Republican rival.
“The choice to use, and then stand by, Dr. Acton’s estranged and abusive mother who stayed married to her rapist stepfather until the day he died shows Ohioans exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is,” Bullock said.
The video does not have any reservations, according to AdImpact, which means no money has been put into airing it.
Acton has talked openly about her and her brother’s difficult upbringing. The siblings were homeless for a time growing up, and Acton said they lived in a tent during one winter. She also accused her stepfather of sexual abuse and testified about it to a grand jury, according to Politico.
More articles
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.