Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother draws bipartisan criticism in Ohio governor's race

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is running an ad this week featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who accuses her daughter of lying about her childhood and questions her fitness to be governor. Acton, a former state health director and Ramaswamy's opponent, responded that she and her brother were removed from their mother's custody after her stepfather was accused of sexually abusing her. Democrats and some Republicans sharply criticized Ramaswamy, who has defended the ad and is spending millions to air it over the next couple of weeks. The dispute spread widely on social media, and President Donald Trump commented, strongly defending Ramaswamy. Ohio attorney and political strategist Mehek Cooke said the focus should move from the ad to who Ohioans want governing the state.

Left-leaning MS NOW offers a first-person opinion piece by a writer who works with survivors of sexual abuse. It argues the ad is bigger than Acton, saying that airing her mother's words risks reinforcing the fear and misplaced guilt survivors work to heal. The excerpt does not mention Trump, Cooke or the ad spending. Right-leaning Fox News leads with an interview with Cooke. Its headline says the viral ad distracts from the stakes of the race and that Acton cannot be trusted, and the piece centers her record. Fox also reports Acton's account, the criticism from both parties and Trump's defense of Ramaswamy. Both sides acknowledge the ad's controversy and its link to Acton's childhood. They differ in focus: the left on the ad's effect on abuse survivors, the right on Acton's record and moving past the ad. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had.