Vivek Ramaswamy takes responsibility for ad with Amy Acton's mother amid bipartisan backlash

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s team confirmed late Tuesday that it produced a controversial advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, and the campaign said it will spend $4 million to broadcast it despite facing bipartisan rebuke for dredging up the painful childhood of his Democratic opponent in Ohio’s governor’s race. Acton, who has made no secret of facing homelessness and sexual abuse as a child, had spent the day pushing back forcefully against the content of the video, whose origins were initially murky. In it, her birth mother Donna Arthur calls her “a liar” and insinuates she has mental health issues. The ad began circulating overnight, just two weeks before Election Day. Acton, Ohio's former public health director, is in a tight race against Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump-backed biotech billionaire and 2024 presidential candidate who has benefited from spending on his behalf that has exceeded $120 million. The online ad, which first surfaced in a post by an Ohio political blogger, spread quickly across social media platforms. It did not include the “paid for” tag that is legally required to air on TV so viewers can know who produced and paid for it. D.J. Brynes, who blogs as “The Rooster,” told CNN he got the video from a voter who viewed it as part of a poll and recorded it. Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy's campaign, said Acton's mother was not paid for the one-minute spot. She said the ad will air both online and on TV in the closing days of the campaign. READ MORE: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/ohio/amy-acton-vivek-ramaswamy-ohio-governor-ad-estranged-mother-donna-arthur/530-5b5af6de-109b-456e-8604-6ee9fe224ce8 -- At 3News, we’re not here to tell you the news, we’re here to share the stories that you say matter most to you. Share your ideas, thoughts, concerns and engage in conversations about the communities in which we all call home. Follow 3News on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wkyc.channel3/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wkyc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wkyc3/ Visit our site: https://www.wkyc.com/ And be sure to download our app here: https://wkyc.com/app -- At 3News, we’re not here to tell you the news, we’re here to share the stories that you say matter most to you. Share your ideas, thoughts, concerns and engage in conversations about the communities in which we all call home. Follow 3News on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wkyc.channel3/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wkyc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wkyc3/ Visit our site: https://www.wkyc.com/ And be sure to download our app here: https://wkyc.com/app