Vivek Ramaswamy pulls Ohio attack ad featuring opponent's estranged mother

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has pulled an attack advertisement featuring his opponent's estranged mother, the Washington Examiner, NBC News, and The Columbus Dispatch reported. The commercial featured Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton, who called her daughter a liar to argue that she was unfit to serve as governor of Ohio. [1][2][6]

The advertisement faced bipartisan rebuke after weaponizing Arthur against Acton, according to the Washington Examiner. NBC News noted that court records showed Arthur faced years of turmoil before appearing in the campaign clip. [1][4]

Acton pushed back against the commercial during a campaign rally in Cincinnati, The Washington Post reported. Acton stated that human decency was on the ballot following the release of the advertisement, Yahoo News Singapore reported. Public polling conducted prior to the removal showed that the advertisement failed to win over voters, according to Yahoo. [3][8][9]

Acton is a physician and former state health director who is running as the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio. Ramaswamy, a Republican entrepreneur, is facing off against Acton in the election on November 3, 2026, to replace incumbent Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who is ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. [10][11]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Ramaswamy spent four million dollars to promote the political advertisement despite widespread criticism. Acton previously condemned the clip, alleging that her mother stayed married to a person who sexually abused Acton when she was a child. [13][14]