Illinois First Lady Pledges $500K to Amy Acton Amid Ad Controversy

WHO:

CNN - Amy Acton is the Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee and a Youngstown native; she is competing against Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy.

CNN - Acton’s mother lost custody of Acton and her brother when Acton was 12; her stepfather was indicted on charges of sexually abusing her.

CNN - Karen Lortz offered Acton a hug at a farm event in northwest Ohio. Acton said, “My brother and I had a mom who struggled, and we experienced a lot of neglect and abuse.”

Chicago Tribune - Illinois first lady MK Pritzker announced a $500,000 contribution to support Acton. Her spokeswoman, Jordan Abudayyeh, said the money would include the maximum $16,615.67 contribution to Acton’s campaign, with the remainder going to the Ohio Democratic Party.

Chicago Tribune - Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed it produced an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar and planned to spend $4 million promoting it.

Chicago Tribune - Gov. JB Pritzker denounced the ad, writing that Ramaswamy had “reached a new low” with “vile and false attacks.” Vice President JD Vance said he was “a little bit disgusted” by Republicans criticizing the ad.

WHAT:

CNN - Acton said the ad renewed attention to her childhood and drew support from people she had met at public events. She said she discusses her past partly to offer hope that people can escape difficult circumstances.

CNN - Acton is seeking to become Ohio’s first elected female governor and its first Democratic governor elected in two decades.

CNN - Acton served as director of the Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, was appointed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, and resigned in 2020. She generally stands by her pandemic record.

CNN - Sen. Bernie Moreno criticized Acton’s pandemic leadership, saying, “She destroyed people’s lives during Covid.” DeWine has said Acton should not be blamed for decisions he approved.

Chicago Tribune - MK Pritzker said, “I refuse to sit quietly while men like Vivek Ramaswamy exploit a highly qualified woman’s pain for political gain.”

Chicago Tribune - JB Pritzker has not reported contributing to Acton’s campaign. His cousin Jennifer Pritzker contributed $10,000 to Acton’s campaign; in-law Susan Pritzker contributed $500.

WHERE:

CNN - Acton spoke with voters at a farm event in northwest Ohio; she previously led the Ohio Department of Health.

Chicago Tribune - Vance criticized Republicans during a campaign stop in Cincinnati.

WHEN:

CNN - Acton resigned as Ohio health director in June 2020.

Chicago Tribune - The $500,000 contributions had not yet appeared on Ohio campaign finance disclosures when reported.

WHY:

CNN - Ramaswamy’s campaign said the ad was justified by what it described as Acton spreading “defamatory, disparaging lies” about Ramaswamy and his family.

Chicago Tribune - MK Pritzker said she was contributing to oppose what she called Ramaswamy’s cruelty and exploitation of Acton’s pain for political gain.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 11:11 UTC)

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton is facing a campaign ad featuring her estranged mother, who calls her a liar. Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign says the ad responds to what it calls Acton’s false attacks, and plans to spend $4 million promoting it. Acton says the ad has renewed attention to a difficult childhood marked by neglect and abuse, and brought support from people she has met on the campaign trail. At a farm event in northwest Ohio, she said she speaks about her past to offer hope to others. Illinois first lady MK Pritzker announced $500,000 in support for Acton, including the maximum campaign contribution, with the rest going to Ohio Democrats. Governor JB Pritzker condemned the ad, while Vice President JD Vance criticized Republicans who objected to it.