Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday condemned a controversial ad from GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother calling her daughter a “liar.”
DeWine told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, that the ad is “deeply, deeply troubling” and that the Ramaswamy campaign “needs to take it down,” according to audio provided by Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS.
“It’s wrong to run this ad,” DeWine said, adding that even though the midterms are fast approaching, he “would urge Ramaswamy’s campaign to take this down.”
The ad, which circulated on social media late Monday, shows Acton’s long-estranged mother, Donna Arthur, saying that her daughter has lied about her past and her struggles growing up.
Acton has been public about her experience with abuse and openly spoken about her tumultuous relationship with her mother, whom she says she has not spoken to since she was 12 years old. Acton alleged her mother’s second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12. Charges were filed against her stepfather, and Acton testified against him. He pleaded not guilty, but fled the state before trial and never appeared before a judge. He died in 2004.
Ramaswamy, on Tuesday, confirmed his campaign had made the ad, which has drawn bipartisan backlash for bringing up his opponent’s childhood trauma.
Acton has criticized the ad, calling it “horrible and hideous” during a campaign event on Wednesday, adding that the ad is “despicable” and “an exploitative thing to do.”
DeWine invoked his own past as a prosecutor of several rape cases, saying “I think we all have an obligation to speak out for the victims.”
“It’s one of the reasons I’m doing this today. We need to speak out. We need to send the message to children that we are here to protect them and that there are people who will in fact protect them, and we just have to make sure we always try to do that,” DeWine said.
The ad came nearly two weeks out from the high-stakes midterm elections where Ohio is home to not only a gubernatorial race, but also key Senate and House races that could determine the balance of power in Congress.
DeWine had endorsed Ramaswamy for governor — and indicated he would still back Ramaswamy and the whole Republican ticket in the state, according to WEWS.
“Today is about the ad. But … I’m not changing my endorsement,” DeWine responded to a question about his support for Ramaswamy.
DeWine joins several other Republicans in the state who have recently spoken out against the controversial ad.
Former Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci — who also ran for Senate in 2018 and governor in 2022 — on Thursday called on Ramaswamy to “pivot quickly” away from the attack ad.
Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who is running for reelection for the seat, said on Wednesday, “I would not have run that ad.”
Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose told ABC Affiliate WSYX earlier this week that his office is reviewing complaints about the Ramaswamy ad to see if it violated any state laws after he said he has received “complaints from various people.” He later added, “I will say that, you know, candidates will answer for their own ads, that, you know, I probably wouldn’t run an ad like that, but every candidate gets to make their own decision.”
Vice President JD Vance defended Ramaswamy’s use of the ad during a campaign event in Ohio on Wednesday.
“Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar,” Vance said.
DeWine, who was Acton’s boss when she was head of the Ohio Department of Health, said he knew her to be truthful.
“My experience with her and working closely with her every single day was she certainly told the truth,” he said.
ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
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