Ohio Governor Urges Ramaswamy to Pull Ad Against Rival; Trump Says Keep It
Ohio's Republican governor Mike DeWine has called on gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to take down an ad against Democrat Amy Acton that features her estranged mother. Donald Trump sharply criticised DeWine and urged that the ad stay up.
Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, said on Thursday that Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy was wrong to release an ad attacking his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, that features her estranged mother. DeWine asked Ramaswamy to take it down, but US President Donald Trump publicly rebuked him and urged the campaign to keep it running. The dispute comes ahead of the 3 November US midterm elections.
What the dispute is about
Acton has led Ramaswamy in recent polls. She has said she has not seen her mother, Donna Arthur, for decades: when Acton was 12, her mother married a man who sexually abused her and stayed with him even after police intervened.
The video began circulating on social media this week, and Ramaswamy's campaign later told Ohio media outlets it was their work. In it, Arthur calls her daughter a liar and says she should not be put in charge of the state. The campaign later said it would spend $4m to air the ad statewide.
Reactions
DeWine called the ad deeply troubling and noted that family members have historically been off limits. He nonetheless declined to withdraw his endorsement of Ramaswamy, saying he wants to support the full Republican ticket.
On Truth Social, Trump accused DeWine of disloyalty to the Republican party and suggested Ramaswamy keep the ad up. Campaign spokesperson Connie Luck said Democrats have regularly used relatives of Republicans in their ads. Vice-president JD Vance said whether the ad was appropriate was not really his concern.
Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, called the ad a despicable low and said that he and his sister were removed from Arthur's custody after their stepfather was arrested. Republican senator Jon Husted, who is in a tight race of his own, said he would not have run it. His Democratic opponent, former senator Sherrod Brown, called the video disgusting. Ohio secretary of state Frank LaRose said he probably would not run such an ad, but that every candidate makes their own decision.
