Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy took his campaign to Strongsville Friday and addressed the backlash over an ad his campaign created featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton.
The ad features Acton's estranged mother accusing her daughter of lying about childhood sexual abuse allegations involving her stepfather.
Ramaswamy rejected criticism that the ad focused on Acton's childhood abuse allegations and said it was instead about her credibility and record.
“The irony is they are lying about an ad that is about lying. That is the truth of the matter. It had nothing to do with childhood abuse, which I will be the number one governor to prosecute,” Ramaswamy told supporters Friday.
He claimed the media is warping the narrative around the ad.
"For the people who are hearing it from the flawed and failed media, I want you to hear it from me directly. These people are lying to you, but I trust you to see through it. We ran an ad about lying. Amy Acton is lying. She has been lying this entire campaign,” Ramaswamy said.
Acton’s campaign responded to the ad earlier this week, saying Acton has not spoken to her mother since 1978 and recounted her stepfather’s indictment by a Mahoning County grand jury for rape when she was 12.
According to Acton, her estranged mother, Donna Arthur, and stepfather, Cledith Arthur, fled the state, and warrants were subsequently issued for his arrest.
The ad has ignited controversy and backlash.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance supported Ramaswamy’s campaign for running the ad.
Trump again addressed the ad before leaving the White House Friday.
“The press is trying so hard to nullify it. They called me up about it. I said, 'Wait a minute, the mother said these things. The mother looks like she's totally lucid. She looks very smart, actually,'" Trump said.
Other Republicans, however, including Gov. Mike DeWine, have condemned the ad and said it was wrong to run it, though DeWine made it clear he stands behind his endorsement of Ramaswamy.
Don Kissick, the Libertarian candidate for governor, has called on Ramaswamy to withdraw from the race over the ad.
