Overview
- Last week Ramaswamy’s campaign released and confirmed a paid statewide ad that features Amy Acton’s estranged mother accusing Acton of lying and the campaign has defended the spot as a credibility attack.
- Reporting and court records show Acton was removed from her mother’s custody in 1978 after her stepfather was indicted on a rape charge, a history Acton and her brother have publicly corroborated.
- Prominent Republicans including Governor Mike DeWine criticized the ad and the Cleveland Plain Dealer broke its no-endorsement policy to back Acton, saying the advertisement crossed a line.
- Several Ohio venues canceled planned Ramaswamy appearances and some hosts received waves of one-star online reviews, while protests have cropped up at campaign events.
- Ramaswamy has continued to defend the ad on television with backing from President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, the campaign shortened the spot for TV, and some polls and prediction markets have shown movement toward Acton.