The attack ad that may have 'backfired spectacularly' in a major US election race
News Source
β’Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:25:22 +0000
π° What Happened
An attack ad in Ohio's race for governor appears to have backfired. The 60-second ad was paid for by the campaign of Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and features Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a liar.
Acton is the Democratic candidate, a doctor and former state health director. Court records show her stepfather was charged in 1978 with raping her when she was 12, and her mother lost custody of her children at the time.
After days of backlash, two forecasters, the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball, moved the race from toss-up to lean Democrat. Ramaswamy plans to spend $4 million on the ad.
π The Backstory
Acton has talked openly about homelessness and abuse in her childhood, and called the ad "despicable". She released a video with her brother, who recalled her taking the worst of the abuse to protect him.
Ohio's Republican governor condemned the ad even though he has endorsed Ramaswamy. President Trump, who also backs Ramaswamy, defended it.
Republican consultant Mike Madrid told SBS News the gamble had "backfired spectacularly", and that the campaign probably knew the risk but felt it had no other choice. The US midterms are less than two weeks away.
π― Why It Matters
Ads like this shape races far beyond Ohio, and they raise a hard question about how far campaigns should go into a candidate's childhood trauma.
An attack ad in Ohio's race for governor appears to have backfired. The 60-second ad was paid for by the campaign of Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and features Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a liar.
Acton is the Democratic candidate, a doctor and former state health director. Court records show her stepfather was charged in 1978 with raping her when she was 12, and her mother lost custody of her children at the time.
After days of backlash, two forecasters, the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball, moved the race from toss-up to lean Democrat. Ramaswamy plans to spend $4 million on the ad.
Acton has talked openly about homelessness and abuse in her childhood, and called the ad "despicable". She released a video with her brother, who recalled her taking the worst of the abuse to protect him.
Ohio's Republican governor condemned the ad even though he has endorsed Ramaswamy. President Trump, who also backs Ramaswamy, defended it.
Republican consultant Mike Madrid told SBS News the gamble had "backfired spectacularly", and that the campaign probably knew the risk but felt it had no other choice. The US midterms are less than two weeks away.
Ads like this shape races far beyond Ohio, and they raise a hard question about how far campaigns should go into a candidate's childhood trauma.