Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has made Amy Acton’s estranged mother — whom Acton has accused of childhood neglect — the face of its latest attack on the Democrat in the Ohio governor’s race. Even some of Ramaswamy’s fellow Republicans are condemning it.

A top official in Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration said that “exploiting someone’s childhood trauma is wrong.” Ohio’s Republican secretary of state distanced himself from the ad, saying his office is reviewing complaints about it. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called Ramaswamy a “bad guy.” But Vice President JD Vance, campaigning in Ohio on Wednesday, defended it.

In the video, which has circulated online but not yet aired on TV, Donna Arthur calls Acton “a liar” about her past and urges voters not to support her. Acton has said that her stepfather raped her as a child and that Arthur stood by him even after he was criminally charged and remained at large for more than two decades until his death. The two have not spoken since 1978, according to Acton, who has said her mother is “clearly not well.” Arthur has disputed the allegations.

“The media and the Democrats in the state of Ohio are obsessed because guess what? Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar,” Vance said. “Whatever you think about any of the TV advertisements, focus on the substance and focus on the facts.”

Wednesday’s stop was Vance’s second visit to the state in two weeks amid Republican worries about losing tight races for governor and U.S. Senate.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took issue with the vice president’s comments on Wednesday.

“Vance’s acceptance of this campaign ad only breathes life into the disease that we should be seeking to cure,” Christie told The Washington Post.

Closer to home, Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development under DeWine, wrote on X that she didn’t have to agree with Acton’s politics to object to the ad.

“I haven’t changed my political beliefs. I’m simply unwilling to set aside my personal values to defend a political ad,” she wrote.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is running for state auditor, told a local ABC affiliate that his office is ensuring the video complies with the law. He also distanced himself from the ad.

“Candidates will answer for their own ads,” LaRose told WSYX. “I probably wouldn’t run an ad like that, but every candidate gets to make their own decision.”

“This is going to cost Mr. Ramaswamy the election right here,” said Don Kissick, Ohio’s long-shot Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in a video posted to Facebook. “He obviously has no respect for anyone’s humanity. If he did, this wouldn’t be a thing.”

Ramaswamy’s Trump-endorsed campaign is standing by the ad and has plans to spend $4 million airing it, Axios has reported. According to AdImpact, Ramawamy’s campaign has added $4.5 million in spending on ads and reservations on Wednesday, most of which would presumably be spent on this video.

A Ramawamy spokesperson did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment.

Backlash to the ad has fueled a late fundraising boost for Acton, with early voting already underway. On Wednesday, Illinois first lady MK Pritzker, the wife of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, said she would donate $500,000 to Acton’s campaign.

Acton holds a 5-point edge over the entrepreneur-turned-politician, according to a polling average from MS NOW’s partner FiftyPlusOne — a notable edge in a state that has become reliably Republican over the past decade-plus.

GOP pollster Frank Luntz plainly described the spot as a “Hail Mary” for Vivek’s campaign to drive up turnout, adding that “Vivek’s team is hoping voters don’t dig into” the details of Acton’s relationship with her mother.

Haley, who faced personal attacks from Ramaswamy on the debate stage during the 2024 Republican presidential primary, also said on social media that it’s “a shame he continues to get away with it.”

Summit County Republican Party Chair Bryan Williams acknowledged that the video was bound to upset critics of negative campaigning, but he said none of his constituents have reached out to him about it.

“This commercial is a punctuation of the fact that Amy Acton is not mentally stable and as a result shouldn’t be governor,” Williams told MS NOW.

Acton’s campaign responded Tuesday evening with its own video, describing Ramaswamy as unfit to lead. The campaign has yet to buy airtime for it, according to AdImpact.

In the video, Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, says his sister was abused by her stepfather when she was as young as 11.

“To think that that’s somehow a talking point, shame on Vivek,” he said.

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