Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) confirmed Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, that his campaign produced an attack advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his opponent, Amy Acton (D). The video, which began circulating on social media on Monday, Oct. 19, shows Donna Arthur calling her daughter a "liar" and questioning her childhood accounts.
Acton, who served as Ohio’s public health commissioner, has previously disclosed experiencing childhood poverty and sexual abuse. Court records provided by her campaign show her stepfather was charged with raping her in 1978 when she was 12 years old. Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, stated that he and his sister were removed from their mother’s custody after the arrest, while Arthur remained married to the stepfather until his death in 2004.
In the advertisement, Arthur disputes Acton’s claims of living in a tent and characterizes her as having a "serious problem." A spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign said Arthur was not paid for her appearance. The campaign is spending $4 million to air the spot statewide on television and online.
Acton's brother described the move as a "despicable low," while Ramaswamy's campaign said Acton is a "serial fabulist" and the public needs to be aware of what they characterize as her "problems with the truth" before casting their ballots.
The advertisement is scheduled to continue airing on television and digital platforms across Ohio through the November election. While the ad initially lacked a disclosure of who paid for and authorized it when it first appeared on social media, Ramaswamy’s public acknowledgment on Oct. 20 clarified the source of the funding.