Why Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s mother has divided Republicans in Ohio

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy defended his campaign's controversial ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, on Friday. Speaking at a campaign stop in northeast Ohio, Ramaswamy claimed the advertisement, which shows Arthur accusing her daughter of being a liar and insinuating she has mental health issues, had nothing to do with childhood abuse allegations.

Ramaswamy argued that the Democrats were changing the subject by focusing on the ad's content, rather than addressing their own shortcomings. The ad features Arthur, who lost custody of her children after her husband was indicted for raping her, and Acton, who has openly discussed her own history of abuse and homelessness. Acton condemned Ramaswamy's ad, stating she would not normalize someone who had made such claims about her childhood.

President Donald Trump also defended the ad, calling it a "hit of pay dirt" and expressing jealousy that he didn't have a similar ad to run during his own campaigns. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine criticized Ramaswamy and called for the ad to be taken down, stating it was wrong to run the advertisement. Police and court documents reveal that Arthur was arrested and charged with the rape of his stepdaughter when she was 12, and was indicted by a grand jury in September 1978, but fled before appearing in court and was ultimately found to be a fugitive by 1981.