Ramaswamy Ad Questioning Amy Acton's Abuse Account Draws Scrutiny Before Ohio Vote

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for Ohio governor is under fire six days before the midterms over an ad implying Democratic rival Amy Acton lied about childhood sexual abuse by her stepfather. The ad features Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, 82, calling her a liar. Records obtained by Signal Statewide show stepfather Cledith Arthur was charged with child rape in 1978 and reference a 1974 incest charge whose outcome is unclear. At a Thornville stop Monday, Ramaswamy called Acton crazy, unstable and a liar. A 62-year-old Youngstown woman, Arthur's biological daughter, told the Daily Mail he raped her late sister Christine more than once and that she believes Acton's account. President Trump said his only regret is not running such an ad.

The Daily Mail, on the right, leads with the ad backfiring, built on an exclusive interview with the stepsister and Ramaswamy's doubling-down remarks; its headline calls the ad explosive and the claims horrifying. CBS News, on the left, frames the ad as an electoral question, asking how it is swaying Ohio voters and hosting Republican strategist Rina Shah and Democratic strategist Robyn Patterson amid Trump's campaign blitz; its excerpt carries none of the abuse records or family testimony. Both treat the ad as a major late-race development, but the Mail centers new evidence supporting Acton while CBS centers political impact. Reason, an independent outlet, is distinct: a first-person opinion piece faulting Ramaswamy, Trump and Vance, noting some Republicans bristled and detailing the court records.