Barack Obama and Amy Acton criticize Vivek Ramaswamy over attack ad

Former President Barack Obama and Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton strongly criticized Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy over a political advertisement at a Saturday rally in Cleveland, the Washington Examiner and MSNBC reported. Obama told the crowd at the Cleveland Public Auditorium that no public office was worth stooping so low, describing Ramaswamy as thirsty for attention. The Washington Examiner noted that the speech took place during Obama's first rally of the 2026 midterm election cycle. [1][3][7]

The campaign ad features Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who lost custody of her daughter in 1978, according to The Guardian. In an opinion column on MSNBC, a writer noted that the ad showed Arthur, who had defended Acton's stepfather after he was accused of sexual abuse. During the rally, Acton directly addressed the video, explaining that she and her brother experienced child abuse and neglect as young children, MSNBC reported. [2][3][4]

Ramaswamy defended the political commercial and accused Acton of lying about her history, according to The Guardian. MSNBC reported that Donald Trump encouraged Ramaswamy to keep running the advertisement. Following widespread public criticism, NBC News reported that Ramaswamy's campaign switched to a shorter, trimmed version of the commercial. [2][4][5]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the election forecaster Cook Political Report changed its rating for the Ohio gubernatorial race from a toss-up to Leans Democrat following backlash over the advertisement. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance both defended the ad, according to CBS News. [5][6][8][15][16]