WASHINGTON — The gubernatorial race in Ohio has taken a remarkably bitter turn following the release of a political advertisement featuring Democratic candidate Amy Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, who denounces her daughter as a liar.
The video surfaced online on Tuesday, plunging the campaign into a fierce dispute over personal history and childhood trauma. In the recording, Arthur asserts that her daughter is untruthful about her past, including claims regarding her upbringing.
“I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent—and it’s not easy for a mother to say this—but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past,” Arthur states in the clip. She challenges specific accounts from Acton’s youth, including statements about living in a tent, and urges voters to reject her candidacy.
Acton’s campaign forcefully condemned the ad, accusing her GOP opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, of sinking to a new low by exploiting childhood sexual abuse for political gain. While the sponsorship of the ad was not immediately clear when it surfaced, rumors had circulated previously that allies of Ramaswamy intended to feature Arthur as an electoral tactic.
Philip Stearns, Acton’s brother, issued a statement on behalf of the campaign defending his sister and launching severe counter-accusations against their birth mother. He stated that after an arrest was made regarding the abuse Acton endured at age twelve by their mother’s husband, and after both children were removed from custody, Arthur remained married to the abuser until his death.
“This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core — a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants,” Stearns said in the statement. Ramaswamy’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The confrontation underscores an already grueling contest in Ohio, a state that has leaned heavily Republican in recent election cycles, voting for Donald Trump by 53% in 2020 and 55% in 2024. Despite the state’s political leanings, recent polling aggregates have shown Acton holding a 3.7 percentage point lead over Ramaswamy.
The broader campaign has been marked by persistent mudslinging. Allies of Ramaswamy have previously attempted to question Acton’s stability and alleged issues with alcohol. In response, Acton has labeled Ramaswamy a serial liar and scam artist while declining to debate him, and her supporters have targeted his business background.
Acton, who served as director of the Ohio Department of Health from 2019 through 2020, has frequently incorporated her difficult childhood into her public profile. According to historical reporting from The Vindicator, her parents divorced when she was approximately three years old, after which she navigated a chaotic household involving her mother and stepfather.
Acton has previously described living in constant fear during her youth, including spending a winter in a campground near Youngstown, Ohio. She has maintained that her stepfather faced criminal charges related to molestation before fleeing, which ultimately enabled her to move in with her biological father, Jerry Stearns. Her account of these events has been corroborated by her brother.
Conversely, Arthur has contested these narratives, alleging that Acton’s biological father had abused her during pregnancy and asserting that the sexual abuse allegations against the stepfather were part of a custody dispute orchestrated by Jerry Stearns.
