Ramaswamy pulls down controversial ad after mass backlash

Ohio Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy has pulled down his controversial advertisement featuring Democrat Dr. Amy Acton's estranged mother, one that has received bipartisan backlash for the past week.

In the ad, the biological mom, Donna Arthur, calls the Democrat a liar. Court documents show Acton's stepfather was arrested for raping her as a child, and Arthur lost custody. The couple fled the state to avoid a trial. Acton said she has not seen her mother in 50 years.

Protests have followed Ramaswamy as he has been traveling around the state. Republicans told us they thought it was going to bring down the whole ticket.

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In a very quick comment to reporters in Dayton Thursday, Ramaswamy said that ad was finished.

"It ran to completion, and we've put up 4 other ads," he said, before pivoting to say he would love for the final moments of the campaign to "really be about policy."

The ad was supposed to air through the election.

Vivek Ramaswamy should never have run his despicable ad in the first place, and its totally unsurprising that he took it off the air in the most cowardly way possible, without even the hint of an apology to Dr. Acton, her family, or to the people of Ohio. Vivek Ramaswamy has shown Ohio exactly who he is: an out-of-touch, self-serving billionaire who will do anything, and harm anyone, to get what he wants," Acton's spokesperson Addie Bullock said. "Its just one more reason for Ohioans to reject him and the private jet he flew in on next Tuesday.

Mahoning County Court records we obtained show that Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with sexually abusing Acton, who was 12 years old at the time. The abuse went from ages 10 to 12, she said. Her mother lost custody, and after pleading not guilty, documents show the stepfather posted bond and fled, becoming a fugitive of the state until his death in 2004.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made news last week when he called the press to the Statehouse Thursday to condemn the ad, telling Ramaswamy to pull it "immediately."

Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at [email protected].