Republican Vivek Ramaswamy said an attack ad featuring his Democratic rival Amy Acton's estranged mother came from his campaign, bringing allegations about Acton's childhood into Ohio's governor race.
Ramaswamy told reporters Tuesday the video was “an ad from our campaign,” CBS News reported, citing The Columbus Dispatch. He defended the message, saying people who knew Acton well had urged voters to support him.
CBS said the clip appeared on social media Monday night without the required disclosure naming who paid for and authorized it. It had not run on television or cable.
Donna Arthur, Acton's estranged mother, accuses her daughter of lying about her past in the video and expresses support for Ramaswamy. Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy's campaign, said the campaign did not know what had happened between Acton and her mother, while accusing Acton of repeatedly misleading the public, CBS reported.
Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, accused Ramaswamy of using his sister's account of childhood sexual abuse as a campaign issue. The Acton campaign released a response video featuring Stearns. Acton has rejected her mother's allegations.
The Associated Press said police and court records it reviewed show Cledith Arthur, Acton's stepfather, faced a rape charge in July 1978 involving Acton, who was then between 10 and 12. He pleaded not guilty and later missed a court hearing.
Polling has offered different pictures of the race. Marist's survey of likely voters, conducted Oct. 15-18, showed Acton leading 50% to 43%, with a 4.5-point margin of error. An ActiVote poll released Oct. 19 showed Ramaswamy ahead 51.4% to 48.6%; it surveyed voters from Sept. 27 to Oct. 19 and had a 4.9-point margin of error.
CBS reported Acton had led in polls during the prior month and Ramaswamy's backers had pursued other personal attacks against her. Acton also served as Ohio's public health commissioner under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine during the pandemic, according to CBS.
Ohio voters will elect a governor Nov. 3.
