Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy accused his Democratic rival Amy Acton of lying about her response to an attack ad from his campaign. Ramaswamy stated that his campaign ran a "lying ad" and that the ad "had nothing to do with childhood abuse". He also claimed that his rival was lying "about her history".
Ramaswamy’s campaign ad features Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur. In the ad, Donna Arthur accuses her daughter, from whom custody was taken in 1978, of lying about her childhood. Custody was removed after her second husband was accused of raping her then 12-year-old daughter.
According to police and court documents obtained by the Associated Press, Donna Arthur’s second husband, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged. A copy of the 1978 arrest warrant suggests that Amy Acton was telling the truth.
Ramaswamy insisted that his campaign’s ad had nothing to do with childhood abuse, but the content of the ad and court documents point to a family tragedy that marked his rival’s childhood. The accusations and counter-accusations between the two candidates have further intensified the pre-election campaign in Ohio.
