Ramaswamy Stops Airing Ad Featuring Amy Acton's Estranged Mother Days Before Ohio Election

Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed Thursday that his campaign is no longer airing an attack ad featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton, five days before the election. Asked in Vandalia, Ramaswamy said the ad had run its course and that other ads had replaced it. His campaign had said it would spend $4 million, but AdImpact data show about $1 million went to two versions of the spot, which began airing Oct. 19. In it, Arthur calls her daughter a liar. Acton has said her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, sexually abused her between ages 10 and 12. He was indicted in 1978, fled Ohio with Arthur and died in 2004. Democrats and Republicans criticized the ad. A Republican-commissioned poll of 800 likely voters, conducted Oct. 23-26 and reported by Axios, showed Acton ahead 50% to 42%, up from 47% to 45% before the ad.

The New York Post and Washington Examiner, on the right, lead with the political fallout. They stress the Axios-reported poll swing, the $4 million pledge versus roughly $1 million spent, and Acton's lead. The Post adds that 86% of voters had heard of the ad and that those familiar with it favored Acton by two to one. The Examiner adds the RealClearPolitics average showing Acton up 4.3 points, notes bipartisan rebuke, and mentions Arthur's questionable record and the campaign's claim of six other ads. Mother Jones and The Guardian, on the left, focus on the ad's substance. Mother Jones recounts confronting Ramaswamy about whether Acton lied about being raped; he said she had lied about him, and staff led him away. The Guardian stresses the revulsion, Trump's defense and Arthur's 2020 interview. Both sides report the ad's removal and its criticism. Zeteo adds sources saying Republicans complained heavily and that Ramaswamy's numbers fell.