Trump and Democrats Rally as Acton Family Feud Hits Campaign Ads

WHO:

The Guardian - Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace called Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad “the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season” and said she was stunned that it could pass for decency.

Fox News - Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said his campaign made an attack ad featuring Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur.

Fox News - Arthur called Acton “a liar” and urged voters: “Don't vote for people who lie. Don't let her become your governor.”

Fox News - Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock called Arthur Acton’s “estranged and abusive mother” and said her use in the ad showed Ohioans “exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is.”

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Arthur, formerly Stearns, appeared in the ad. She claimed Acton lied about her past, including saying she “grew up living in a tent.”

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Acton’s brother Phil Stearns said their mother lost custody and “stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died.” He said Acton “always got the worst” of the abuse and continued to endure it because she wanted to protect him.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Jessica Miranda, a former Democratic lawmaker and Hamilton County Auditor, criticized the ad. Republican Mark Pukita said the attack ads cost Ramaswamy his vote. Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik also condemned the ad.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Republican strategist Terry Casey said there was no evidence he knew of tying Ramaswamy’s campaign to the ad; after hearing about the court records, he called the matter “TMI, too much information” and irrelevant to choosing a governor.

WHAT:

The Guardian - Amy Acton told voters that her mother was “not well” and that Ramaswamy should not have “exploited her.” Acton described the ad as “another sign of this time, where enough is enough … do anything, say anything just to get ahead,” adding, “I think Ohioans are smarter than that.”

The Guardian - Acton’s brother Phil Stearns called the ad “a despicable low” and said it turned the sexual abuse Acton endured into a political talking point.

CNN - Vice President JD Vance defended the ad on the campaign trail.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Donna Arthur said she had worked at Children and Family Service Association, helping build “one of the first two sexual abuse programs in America.”

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Ramaswamy spokesperson Connie Luck said Ohioans deserved to know that Acton’s mother did not support her and described Acton as “a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth.”

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Acton said Ramaswamy had described her as “a frequent flyer in children’s services” and as “just ‘complaining about something done to me’ in my childhood.”

CNN - President Trump said he knew nothing about the abuse allegations at the center of the ad and questioned what Vivek Ramaswamy had to do with it.

CNN - Ramaswamy’s campaign put $4 million behind the ad.

Fox News - Ramaswamy said the ad was from his campaign and that Arthur was not compensated. He said he had never met Acton or her mother.

Fox News - Ramaswamy said Acton had not debated him, did not allow cameras at her events, and had spread “defamatory, disparaging lies” about him and his family.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Mahoning County court records show Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing her when she was 12; Acton said the abuse occurred from ages 10 to 12.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Court records show police found Cledith Arthur living in a tent. After pleading not guilty, he posted bond, fled, and remained a fugitive until his death. Public records show he and Acton’s mother moved to Pennsylvania.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Acton said she had no contact with her mother after leaving court when her stepfather was charged. She wrote that her mother “did nothing to protect me” and said her childhood experiences shaped her values and commitment to protecting vulnerable Ohioans.

WHERE:

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - The story concerns the Ohio gubernatorial campaign; court records cited were from Mahoning County. Public records place Cledith Arthur and Acton’s mother in Pennsylvania.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - The ad circulated online and was first published by Columbus-based political blogger The Rooster.

WHEN:

The Guardian - The Ohio midterm election is scheduled for “3 November.”

CNN - President Trump made the comments while departing the White House for South Carolina.

Fox News - Ramaswamy confirmed responsibility for the ad on Tuesday. Acton’s campaign also issued a statement on Tuesday.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Cledith Arthur died in 2004.

WHY:

CNN - President Trump said, “I don’t think that has anything to do with Vivek,” and argued that an equivalent ad about a Republican candidate would be allowed to continue: “I can guarantee you they’d let it go.”

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Acton said her childhood experiences shaped her compassion and belief that everyone deserves safety, a voice, and a fair chance at a better life.

CNN - President Trump said, “I just don’t know that,” when asked about Acton’s claim that she was abused by her mother’s husband.

Fox News - Ramaswamy said Acton’s record and alleged statements about him warranted scrutiny; he said he wanted the campaign to focus on issues affecting Ohioans.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - Acton said Ramaswamy exploited her mother for political gain. Mihalik said exploiting childhood trauma was wrong.

HOW:

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - The ad’s disclosure status could affect its broadcast use: the station said television ads have more rigorous requirements for disclosing who paid for them.

News 5 Cleveland WEWS - The ad did not identify who paid for it and had not been submitted to WEWS-TV News 5 Cleveland or WCPO-TV 9 News Cincinnati for broadcast; the station said it was unclear whether it was intended for television.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 14:02 UTC)

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign made an attack ad featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. In the online ad, Arthur calls Acton a liar and urges voters not to elect her governor. Acton says Ramaswamy exploited her mother and her history of childhood abuse for political gain. Mahoning County court records show Acton’s stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her; Acton says the abuse began when she was 10. Her brother, Phil Stearns, says their mother lost custody and that Acton endured the worst of the abuse. Ramaswamy says the ad was justified by Acton’s alleged falsehoods, and his campaign invested $4 million in it. Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace and other Ohio officials condemned the ad, while Vice President JD Vance defended it. President Trump said he knew nothing about the abuse allegations and questioned Ramaswamy’s connection to them.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 11:09 UTC)

An attack ad funded by Vivek Ramaswamy’s Ohio gubernatorial campaign features Democratic rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing Acton of lying about her childhood. Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign made the ad and spent $4 million on it, saying Arthur was not paid. Mahoning County court records show Acton’s stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her when she was a child; Acton says the abuse began when she was 10. Her brother says their mother lost custody and that Acton endured abuse while trying to protect him. Acton says her mother did not protect her and accuses Ramaswamy of exploiting her trauma. Her campaign called Arthur abusive and condemned the ad. The spot drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans, while Vice President JD Vance defended it. President Trump said he knew nothing about the allegations and questioned Ramaswamy’s connection to them.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 04:09 UTC)

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign made an online attack ad featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton, and spent $4 million on it. In the ad, Arthur calls Acton a liar and urges voters not to elect her. Ramaswamy says Arthur was not paid and that he has never met either woman. The ad challenges Acton’s account of her childhood, including court records showing her stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her. Acton says her mother failed to protect her, and her brother says she endured the worst of the abuse. Her campaign calls the ad exploitative, while Republican and Democratic figures have condemned it. Acton says her experiences shaped her commitment to protecting vulnerable Ohioans. President Trump said he knew nothing about the abuse allegations and questioned Ramaswamy’s role.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 03:10 UTC)

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign made an attack ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Amy Acton, and said she was not paid. The campaign put $4 million behind the ad, which portrays Donna Arthur criticizing her daughter and accusing her of lying about her childhood. Acton’s campaign called Arthur abusive and said using her in the ad revealed Ramaswamy’s character. Acton says her stepfather sexually abused her between ages 10 and 12; court records show he was charged, fled after posting bond, and remained a fugitive until his death. Acton says her mother did nothing to protect her, and that her childhood shaped her commitment to protecting vulnerable Ohioans. Her brother said she endured the worst of the abuse. Ramaswamy says Acton’s record warrants scrutiny. Critics from both parties condemned the ad, while President Trump said he knew nothing about the allegations.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 02:16 UTC)

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign made an attack ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, and spent $4 million on it. In the online ad, Arthur calls Acton a liar and urges voters not to elect her, while claiming Acton misrepresented her childhood. Mahoning County court records show Acton’s stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her when she was a child; her brother says their mother lost custody and failed to protect her. Acton says she cut off contact with her mother and accused Ramaswamy of exploiting her trauma for political gain. Her campaign called Arthur abusive and said the ad revealed Ramaswamy’s character. Several Ohio political figures, including Republicans, condemned the ad. Ramaswamy said he had never met either woman and argued Acton’s record and statements warranted scrutiny. President Trump said he knew nothing about the abuse allegations and questioned Ramaswamy’s connection to them.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 16:21 UTC)

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says his campaign made an online attack ad featuring Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton. In the ad, Arthur calls Acton a liar and urges voters not to elect her. Ramaswamy says Arthur was not paid, and that the ad was meant to scrutinize Acton’s record. Acton’s campaign calls Arthur abusive and says the ad shows Ramaswamy’s character. Court records show Acton’s stepfather was charged with sexually abusing her when she was a child; he later fled after posting bond and remained a fugitive until his death. Acton’s brother says she endured the worst of the abuse, while Acton says her mother failed to protect her. She accuses Ramaswamy of exploiting her trauma. The ad has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans, including state development director Lydia Mihalik. A Republican strategist says the family matter is irrelevant to choosing a governor.