'Despicable low': Ramaswamy turns sexual abuse into 'political talking point'; ad featuring Acton's estranged mother sparks backlash | Watch

A new campaign ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic candidate for Ohio governor Amy Acton has sparked uproar ahead of the US midterm elections. In the ad, Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, whose husband was accused of raping Acton when she was a child, says, "It's not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy was a serious problem. She is a liar; she lies about her past." Acton's campaign and her brother have denounced the ad which also defends her GOP opponent Vivek Ramaswamy as a "despicable low"

'A pathetic excuse for a man'

Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, lashed out at Ramaswamy in response: "It's not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point."

He said that after their stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged, he and Acton were removed from the Arthurs' custody and lived with their father. "Our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died," Stearns said. "This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core, a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants."

Also read | 'Big items are done' but no signature: How US midterms could decide the India-US trade deal

Vivek Ramaswamy takes credit for controversial ad

Ramaswamy told reporters Tuesday (Oct 20) that it was "an ad from our campaign," reports The Columbus Dispatch. He defended the content of the ad, saying: "Every person who appears to know her the best have told voters not to vote for her but to vote for me instead."

Notably, this is not the first such ad by the Ramaswamy campaign. The Republican candidate's backers have previously launched other personal attacks against Acton, who has been leading in polls over the last month. Other aspects of Acton's personal life have also resurfaced during the election, including an incident when police were called to her home in 2019 during what was characterised as a domestic dispute.

The ad's murky origins

The origins of the ad, which circulated on social media on Monday (Oct 19) night, were initially unclear. It lacks the mandatory disclosure of who paid for and authorised the commercial. It has not aired on TV or cable but has spread widely on social media.

Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy, said in a statement on Tuesday, “We don't know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor.”

Also read | US Midterms: Trump doubles down on $5,000 dividend as economists call it a 'half-baked political scheme'. Can a Republican win guarantee it?

Estranged mother, years of abuse: Acton's past made campaign issue

Acton, who served as the state's public health commissioner under GOP Gov. Mike DeWine during the pandemic, has previously talked about being abused by her now-deceased stepfather. According to court records provided by the campaign, in 1978, Arthur was charged with raping Acton, when she was between 10 and 12 years old. He entered a not guilty plea.

"In the courthouse after they were charged, I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away," Acton told The Vindicator seven years ago. "That was the last time I ever saw her." According to her campaign that court date was the last time Acton saw her mother.

Her mother and her stepfather, released on bond, left Ohio without facing charges, the news site said. Warrants were issued for Cledith Arthur's arrest at least twice in the next few years, according to court records. Donna and Cledith Arthur lived in Pennsylvania until Cledith's death in 2004.

'Will absolutely backfire': Reaction mounts as Vance heads to Ohio

With Vice President Vance headed to Ohio to campaign for Ramaswamy, CNN commentator Van Jones says the GOP candidate is putting the VP in a "terrible position" with the new ad.

On AC360, Alyssa Farah Griffin called it "the most disgusting ad I've seen," saying anyone behind it "should be ashamed," and that Ramaswamy's decision to stand by it rather than denounce it "says all you need to know about his character." She predicted it "will absolutely backfire," noting the ad was only on social media, where no disclosure is required. "They seem to know exactly what they did. It's very clear she'd not even spoken to the mother in decades."

Journalist Gretchen Carlson agreed: "Weaponising childhood sexual assault never works." She said the ad says more about Ramaswamy than Acton. "This is going to be more about him than it is about Acton." Asked whether a loss in Ohio would end Ramaswamy's political career, the panel said this race "was probably his to lose," and that "the more people see Vivek Ramaswamy, the less they like."