The key facts
- Vice President JD Vance called Republican criticism of the ad 'whining' and said it 'kind of outrages' him
- Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed authorship of the ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton's mother and pledged to spend $4 million on airing it
- The ad drew bipartisan criticism; the Cook Political Report moved the Ohio race into the 'toss up' category
Vance defends Ramaswamy campaign ad
US Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Ohio in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, urged fellow Republicans to stop 'whining' about the controversial campaign ad. When asked by BBC News whether he considered the ad appropriate, Vance replied: 'That's not my concern. My concern is who's going to govern the next generation of American government.' Later at a rally he said the media and Democrats were 'obsessed' with the fact that Ramaswamy 'had the audacity' to release a video calling Amy Acton a liar.
Content of the ad
In the ad, Donna Arthur, mother of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, claims her daughter 'has lied her whole life.' The video does not mention that Arthur's husband, Cleeth Arthur, was arrested and charged in 1978 with raping Acton when she was a child. Acton and her brother were removed from their mother's custody; Acton told The Vindicator that she has not spoken to her mother since. The Arthur family fled Ohio, the charge never went to trial, and Cleeth Arthur died in 2004.
Authorship and campaign response
When the video appeared on social media on Monday evening, it contained no information about who paid for and approved it. On Tuesday, Ramaswamy confirmed the ad came from his campaign and pledged to spend $4 million (£2.9 million) on further airing. Acton's brother Philip Steens condemned the video, calling the turning of alleged sexual abuse into 'a political talking point' 'despicable depravity.' Acton's team released a 30-second response ad featuring Steens, in which he talks about the childhood abuse and says: 'Shame on you, Vivek.'
Criticism from both sides
The ad also drew condemnation from Republicans. Nikki Haley, Ramaswamy's rival in the 2024 primaries, said: 'He's a bad guy. It's a shame he keeps getting away with it.' Ohio Senator John Husted told the Associated Press: 'I would not have run that ad.' Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, running for state auditor, noted that 'candidates will answer for their ads' and that he probably would not have released something like that. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday: 'I know nothing about it. I heard the mother was very much out of control toward the daughter,' adding that, in his view, it 'has nothing to do with Vivek.'
Context and assessments
David Lublin, a professor at American University's School of Public Affairs, told the BBC that campaign ads 'have become harsher, and the boundaries of what can be attacked have stretched.' According to him, bringing relatives against an opponent is not new, but 'this is of a different order: they are estranged not over politics, but over an accusation of rape.' Lublin believes Trump's rhetoric has been a catalyst for the coarsening of political discourse and expects that Ramaswamy's ad may 'backfire,' pointing to a desperate attempt to reverse the race's momentum. The independent site Cook Political Report moved its rating of the Ohio gubernatorial race from 'leans Republican' to 'toss up' — neither candidate has a clear advantage. A Democrat has not been elected governor of the state in more than two decades.
Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images Amy Acton is the former head of the Ohio Department of Health
Image source, Getty Images Vivek Ramaswamy is an ally of President Donald Trump
