Ohio Venues Cancel Ramaswamy Campaign Events After Ad Featuring Amy Acton's Mother

Ohio venues have pulled out of hosting Republican campaign events with gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy after backlash over his campaign's advert featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. The Old Dog Ale House & Brewery in Delaware canceled a GOP event with Ramaswamy last Friday, according to USA Today reporter Jessie Balmert, and the Ohio GOP said it had chosen a new location. Elliot's Wood Fired Kitchen in Newark said in a Facebook comment that it would not host the party's planned Tuesday event, and the Ohio Republican Party's bus tour website now lists that location as "to be announced."

Venues that hosted GOP events over the weekend, including Kick-N-Ax in Zanesville, Izzy's in Monroe and The Local Bar Strongsville, received a wave of one-star Google reviews. In the ad, Acton's mother calls her a liar. Acton has said she was sexually abused as a child by her stepfather and has not seen her mother since testifying against him in court at age 12. She said he was charged with rape before fleeing the state with her mother. Ramaswamy has faced criticism from both parties.

Right-leaning outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing; left-leaning and alternative outlets had. Left-leaning Raw Story leads with a headline saying Ohio's biggest newspaper broke its own rules to take down Ramaswamy. The text available shows only a photo caption of Ramaswamy in Zanesville on October 25, 2026, with no detail on the newspaper, the rules or the cancellations. Alternative outlets Newsweek and The Times of India focus on the cancellations and the online reviews. Newsweek adds the venues' names, Acton's account and its requests for comment to the campaign and the Ohio GOP; its available text includes no response.