Acton Says Ramaswamy Exploited Her Estranged Mother for Political Gain

Por Chris Walker — Truthout

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton accused her mother’s then-husband of sexual assault when she was a child.

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Democratic candidate for Ohio governor Amy Acton has responded to a political ad produced by her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign, which features her mother — whom she’s been estranged from for decades — describing Acton as a liar.

The ad is being widely criticized as distasteful because Acton accused her mother and her then-stepfather of abuse and sexual assault when she was just a child.

In the ad, Donna Arthur, Acton’s mother, is shown speaking directly into the camera about her daughter, whom she has not seen since 1978, when Acton was just 12 years old.

“Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar,” Arthur says. “She’s lied her entire life. My daughter needs help.”

The ad doesn’t mention why Arthur believes her daughter is a liar, and it leaves out all relevant information about their estrangement.

Acton alleges that she was the victim of sexual abuse by Arthur’s now-deceased husband when she was between the ages of 10 and 12. Acton has also recalled being unhoused at one point while living with her mother and stepfather.

She later told her father about the abuses, and a grand jury indicted her stepfather. Her mother and stepfather then fled the state to avoid prosecution, Acton has recounted.

The ad did not indicate who paid for or produced it. Though the Ramaswamy campaign had initially avoided taking responsibility for the ad, it has now admitted they made the commercial. What’s more, the campaign intends to spend an additional $4 million to continue airing it.

The campaign defended the ad in a statement.

“We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” the Ramaswamy campaign said.

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance came to Ramaswamy’s defense.

“Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern,” Vance said in response to a reporter’s question, saying he was more focused on the election’s outcome.

“Have the opinion you want to have on that ad,” Vance continued, adding that he was “disgusted” at members of his own party “whining” about the contents of the ad.

Acton has condemned Ramaswamy for the ad in a statement posted on Facebook.

“Between the ages of 10 and 12, I was sexually abused by her husband, while my birth mother did nothing to protect me. … I’ve always known that she was deeply sick and unwell, and it’s sad to see Vivek Ramaswamy exploit her all for his own political gain,” Acton said.

She added:

I know what it feels like to be a child who is hungry, frightened, and uncertain of what tomorrow will bring. I know what it means to feel powerless and to depend on the courage and compassion of others to find a way forward. Those experiences shaped my values, my compassion, and my belief that every person deserves to be safe, to be heard, and to have a fair chance at a better life. They are part of what led me to become a doctor, to dedicate my life to public service, and to fight for people who too often feel forgotten or left behind.

Acton’s brother, Phillip Stearns, has also blasted the ad.

“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Stearns said in a statement, adding that the commercial is a “desperate, disgusting attack” that “reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.”

The race between Acton, a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, and Ramaswamy, an ally of President Donald Trump, is a tight one. According to an average of polling data compiled by FiftyPlusOne, Acton is currently leading the contest, garnering around 49 percent of support in the state, while Ramaswamy receives 44.5 percent.

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This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms:

Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin. Focusing on both national and local topics since the early 2000s, he has produced thousands of articles analyzing the issues of the day and their impact on people. He can be found on most social media platforms under the handle @thatchriswalker.

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Fonte: Truthout