Amy Acton says Trump, Vance should ‘look at the facts’ after Ramaswamy attack ad

Acton Urges Trump and Vance to Consider Abuse Case Facts Amid Ohio Campaign Ad Dispute

Cyberzenhub.com – Ohio Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton said President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance should examine the record surrounding the childhood abuse she says she suffered, following their defense of a controversial advertisement released by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign.

Acton addressed the dispute Saturday after appearing at a Cleveland rally with former President Barack Obama. The campaign ad has drawn criticism from figures in both parties because it features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who challenges Acton’s account of her past.

Acton has said she has not had contact with her mother since she was 12. She alleges that her mother’s second husband sexually abused her from ages 9 through 12, while her mother remained with him. The advertisement does not discuss the allegations against Acton’s stepfather, but instead accuses Acton of being dishonest about her history.

“My job is to work with anyone on any side of the aisle to solve problems instead of making them, and I would say I do hope they would look at the facts.”

Criminal case remains central to Acton’s response

Acton said the events from her childhood are supported by formal legal records. Her stepfather was charged, and she testified against him. He entered a not-guilty plea, left Ohio before the case reached trial, and never appeared before a judge. He died in 2004.

She has described her upbringing as one marked by severe mistreatment and neglect affecting both her and her brother. In discussing the case, Acton pointed to the grand jury indictment and the man’s status as a fugitive after bail.

“We were frequent flyers in children’s services … There are facts in this case: a grand jury indictment, fugitive out against bail, and that behavior went on and on.”

The dispute has expanded beyond a typical disagreement over campaign messaging. It has raised questions about the limits of political advertising when deeply personal family trauma is involved, particularly in a closely watched race for Ohio governor.

Trump, when questioned this week about Acton’s allegations, said repeatedly that the Ramaswamy campaign’s spot had “nothing to do” with her stepfather. Vance also backed Ramaswamy’s campaign, criticizing Republicans who objected to the ad more strongly than they objected to Democrats’ policies.

“I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America.”

DeWine calls advertisement “deeply, deeply troubling”

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who has endorsed Ramaswamy, was among the prominent Ohio Republicans criticizing the ad. Speaking in Columbus on Thursday, DeWine called it “deeply, deeply troubling” and said the Ramaswamy campaign should remove it. He did not, however, rescind his endorsement.

Acton said she appreciated DeWine’s recognition of the documented details of the case. Before entering the governor’s race, she worked with DeWine during the COVID-19 pandemic as director of the Ohio Department of Health.

“It was an honor and a privilege”

Acton said of her work with DeWine, adding that she valued his willingness to focus on the facts. She noted that his background as a prosecutor gave him particular familiarity with cases of this kind.

“That this was an indictment he knows better than others. He’s a prosecutor. He started his career prosecuting cases like this, and he knew more than anyone. He knows who I am and knows my story.”

Ramaswamy says campaign ad concerns honesty, not abuse

Ramaswamy has maintained that his campaign’s message was not directed at the abuse allegations. Speaking with reporters Friday, he said the commercial focused on what he characterized as Acton’s dishonesty during the campaign.

“We ran an ad about lying. Amy Acton is lying. She has been lying this entire campaign about me, about her record, about her history in this state.”

A campaign spokesperson, Connie Luck, criticized Acton’s appearance with Obama and argued that Ohio voters could not afford a liberal governor.

“Ohioans can’t afford a liberal governor who shows up for Obama but never shows up for them.”

Acton and Ramaswamy have not met face to face. Asked what she would tell her Republican opponent, Acton said she had little to say to him personally and condemned the campaign’s approach.

“I really have no words for Mr. Ramaswamy. I think there is no low that he wouldn’t sink to.”

The episode places a painful personal history at the center of a statewide contest already shaped by sharp partisan divisions. For Acton, the response has focused on the legal record and on the broader impact political attacks can have on people who have experienced abuse. Her message to survivors began with an appeal to those currently enduring abuse: “For those out there going through it now, hold”