The 2024 Ohio gubernatorial race has been thrown into the national spotlight after a deeply personal attack ad targeting Democratic candidate Amy Acton sparked widespread outrage from politicians across both major parties and voters alike.
Acton, who is running to replace outgoing Republican governor Mike DeWine, has called the ad released by her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy ‘despicable’ for featuring her estranged mother’s uncontextualized criticism without acknowledging the childhood trauma at the heart of their estrangement. In the ad, Donna Arthur, Acton’s mother, claims Acton ‘lied her entire life,’ but it omits the critical detail that Arthur’s husband was charged with raping Acton when she was a child. Following the indictment, both Acton and her brother were removed from Arthur’s custody. Acton has not seen her mother since a 1978 court hearing, after her stepfather fled the state before standing trial. He died in 2004 without ever facing prosecution for his crimes.
Since the ad launched on Monday, it has generated immediate bipartisan backlash, and even members of Ramaswamy’s own party have condemned the spot. DeWine, the outgoing Republican governor who endorsed Ramaswamy, has publicly called the ad deeply troubling and called for it to be removed from air. The editorial board of the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio’s largest daily newspaper, withdrew its earlier endorsement of Ramaswamy and instead endorsed Acton, describing the ad as ‘revolting and unsettling.’ Former Republican Congressman Jim Renacci wrote on social media platform X that the ad has fatally damaged the Republican campaign in Ohio, and warned that any GOP official who fails to distance themselves from the spot will also face political fallout.
On Wednesday, Illinois first lady MK Pritzker announced a $500,000 donation to Acton’s campaign to support her after the controversy. Even former President Donald Trump, while noting the unusual nature of a mother publicly attacking her daughter this way, has downplayed any connection between the ad and Ramaswamy’s candidacy. Conversely, Ohio Senator JD Vance, a prominent Republican, has dismissed intra-party criticism of the ad, saying he is disgusted by fellow Republicans ‘whining’ about the spot and calling on them to stop their criticism.
Ohio’s top elections official, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, has confirmed his office is reviewing formal complaints about the ad, which initially aired without the legally required disclosure identifying who paid for the advertisement. Ramaswamy quickly took responsibility for the ad on social media the day after its release, and announced his campaign would spend $4 million to air it across every major media market in the state.
In response to the original attack ad, Acton released her own ad earlier this week, featuring her brother recalling their shared childhood trauma and condemning Ramaswamy for using sexual assault as a political talking point. At a campaign stop on Wednesday, Acton pushed back against Ramaswamy’s tactic, saying ‘I’ve never attacked his family. I would never do that.’ She added that the ad’s release has resonated with countless survivors of trauma and abuse across the country, who have reached out to express their support.
Political analysts note that while attack ads are a longstanding staple of American electoral politics, they have grown increasingly harsh and personal in recent cycles. David Lublin, a professor of public affairs at American University, told the BBC that the extreme nature of this ad suggests Ramaswamy’s campaign is desperate to shift momentum in his favor ahead of the November 3 election. A pre-ad poll released by VoteHub on Thursday shows Acton holding a narrow 1% lead over Ramaswamy, which falls within the survey’s margin of error. If Acton wins the race, she will become the first Democrat to hold the Ohio governorship in 20 years.