A new attack ad features the estranged mother of Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, calling her a “liar” and defending her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton’s campaign and her brother denounced the ad as “despicable and vulgar.”
Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, whose husband is accused of raping Acton when she was a child, said at the scene: “It’s not easy for a mother to say something like this, but Amy was a serious problem. She was a liar; she lied about her past.”
Philip Stearns, Acton’s brother, lashed out at Ramaswamy: “It’s no surprise that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such despicable levels to try to turn the sexual abuse Amy suffered at the age of twelve by our biological mother’s husband into a political issue.”
He said he and Acton were removed from the Arthurs’ custody and lived with their father after their stepfather, Clydis Arthur, was arrested and charged.
“Our biological mother remained married to Amy’s rapist until his death,” Stearns said. “This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at the core – a pathetic excuse for a man willing to hurt anyone just to get what he wants.”
Ramaswamy told reporters on Tuesday that it was “an ad for our campaign,” The Columbus Dispatch reported. He defended the ad’s content, saying: “Everyone who seems to know her best … is telling voters not to vote for her but to vote for me.”
The origin of the ad, which circulated on social media Monday night, was initially unclear. It does not mandate disclosure of who paid for and authorized the ad. It has not yet aired on television or cable, but has been shared widely on social media.
“We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who spoke publicly about Amy for the first time in 2020, but we do know Amy Acton is a serial fable writer who has some serious questions about the truth that the public needs to know before deciding who to entrust as governor,” Ramaswamy’s spokesperson Connie Luck said in a statement on Tuesday.
The state Republican Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Acton, who served as the state’s public health commissioner under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine during the pandemic, has previously spoken about abuse at the hands of her now-deceased stepfather. Arthur was accused of raping Acton in 1978 when she was 10 to 12 years old, according to court records provided by the campaign. He entered a not guilty plea.
Acton also detailed her struggles with poverty and homelessness throughout her childhood, with records provided by her campaign showing the family living in tents for a year.
Acton told the Youngstown Vindicator in 2019 that once she and her brother were able to live with their father, their lives became more stable.
“After they were charged, in the courthouse, I went to kiss her, but she just turned her face away,” Acton told The Vindicator seven years ago. “That was the last time I saw her.” Her campaign said the court date remains the date Acton last saw her mother.
Her mother and stepfather were released on bail and left Ohio without charges, the news site said. Over the next few years, arrest warrants were issued for Clydith Arthur at least twice, according to court records. Donna and Cledith Arthur lived in Pennsylvania until Cledith’s death in 2004.
Ramaswamy’s supporters also launched other personal attacks against Acton, who had been leading the polls last month.
Other aspects of Acton’s personal life also resurfaced during the election, including when police were called to her home in 2019 during an incident that was characterized as a domestic dispute.