Legend Rallies Ohio Democrats as Ramaswamy's Ad Using Acton's Mother Draws Fire

Singer John Legend criticized Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy at a Dayton rally Monday night for Democrats Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown, days after Ramaswamy's campaign ran an attack ad featuring Acton's estranged mother. In the ad, Donna Arthur calls her daughter a liar who is unfit to be governor. Court documents and contemporaneous accounts say Arthur's husband raped Acton as a child, and that Arthur defended him, fled Ohio with him before a trial and stayed with him until he died decades later. Legend, an Ohio native, called Ramaswamy desperate and said he would stoop lower than expected. Ramaswamy's campaign had said it would spend millions promoting the ad. President Donald Trump defended it, and Vice President JD Vance told Republicans to stop whining. Gov. Mike DeWine called it deeply troubling, and Trump rebuked him as disloyal. Sen. Jon Husted, in a tight race with Brown next week, said he would not have run it.

Breitbart, on the right, leads with Legend rather than the ad. It calls him a left-wing singer, lists his song titles, mocks his dancing and spends most of its space on his attacks on Husted. It mentions the ad only as something Legend may have been citing, adds Trump's praise, and omits the abuse allegations and Republican criticism. MS NOW and Mother Jones, on the left, center the ad. MS NOW calls it revolting and says Ramaswamy is in trouble; Mother Jones says it is galvanizing Democrats. Mother Jones also quotes Legend's charge about siding with an abuser and details the criticism from DeWine and Husted. Both sides agree on Legend's remarks and Trump's support. Zeteo, an alternative outlet, offers a distinct angle: anonymous Republicans, including a Trump adviser, say they warned the campaign the ad would backfire.