Vance Rebukes Complaining Republicans Over Explosive Ramaswamy Ad Targeting Amy Acton

Vice President JD Vance has issued a blunt warning to fellow Republicans complaining about an explosive campaign advertisement targeting Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, telling critics to stop whining and focus on the election.

Speaking at a Wednesday press conference in Cincinnati, where he campaigned alongside Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Senator Jon Husted, Vance pulled no punches regarding the internal party backlash. The controversial ad, which features Acton’s estranged mother, has severely roiled the state’s gubernatorial contest just 13 days before Election Day.

“Politics is a tough business, and my message to my fellow elected Republicans is: If you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days,” Vance said.

Vance admitted he was “disgusted” by the public condemnations leveled by some elected Republicans against the spot. He questioned their priorities as the campaign enters its final stretch.

“If you think it wasn’t tough enough, say that. But I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said.

The source of the intra-party friction is a one-minute ad financed by Ramaswamy’s campaign, which has accepted full responsibility for the multimillion-dollar statewide blitz. The commercial features Donna Arthur, Acton’s estranged mother, who directly attacks her daughter’s credibility.

“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. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life,” Arthur says in the ad. “Don’t vote for people who lie. Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”

Ramaswamy’s campaign committed $4 million to the spot after internal testing indicated the message resonated strongly with persuadable voters, according to sources close to the campaign. The statewide television blitz launched Tuesday night.

Speaking at a campaign event in Columbus on Tuesday, Ramaswamy defended the strategy. “This is part of a pattern,” he told reporters. “Someone else who appears to know her well … says the same thing, and I do think that is important for voters to take that into account, especially because Amy Acton has hid from debate and ducked questions.”

Trailing candidates frequently deploy negative advertising to alter the momentum of a stagnant race. According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Ramaswamy trails Acton by nearly four points in the contest to succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine. The Cook Political Report lists the high-stakes race as a toss-up.

Ramaswamy maintained that his opponent’s record is fair game for public scrutiny. “What I do know [is] that Amy Acton has been repeatedly and serially dishonest during this campaign and for much of her record in public service, and I do think that record deserves to be scrutinized,” he stated.

The Acton campaign fiercely condemned the ad on Tuesday morning, accusing Ramaswamy of attempting to platform an estranged and abusive parent for political gain. In a deeply personal statement, Acton detailed a harrowing childhood marked by severe neglect and abuse.

“We were often kept in a dark basement, were frequent-fliers with child protective services, and lived in fear of our birth mother’s violent and erratic temper,” Acton said, adding that she and her brother endured abuse, hunger, and neglect. “Between the ages of 10 and 12, I was sexually abused by her husband, while my birth mother did nothing to protect me.”

“I’ve always known that she was deeply sick and unwell, and it’s sad to see Vivek Ramaswamy exploit her all for his own political gain,” Acton said.

Investigative reporting following the ad’s release revealed that Youngstown police and court officials could not immediately produce records from the 1970s to corroborate Acton’s account. However, her campaign provided documentation showing that her stepfather was indicted by a grand jury and pleaded not guilty before fleeing the state prior to trial. Although a subsequent arrest warrant was issued, he never stood before a judge and ultimately died in Pennsylvania in 2004.