Ramaswamy Pulls $1 Million Ohio Ad After Spending 25% of Budget
The Republican governor candidate ended the airtime for the spot featuring his opponent's estranged mother after initial backlash.
By Andrew Yang ·
Vivek Ramaswamy ended the airtime for his controversial Ohio attack ad on Thursday. The Republican gubernatorial candidate announced the decision during a campaign appearance in Vandalia. The spot, which ran for a short period, cost his campaign approximately $1 million. This figure represents roughly one quarter of the $4 million total budget his team initially allocated for the advertisement.
The commercial featured Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton. In the footage, Arthur described her daughter as a lifelong liar. The two women had not seen each other for nearly 50 years. Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978 after her husband was indicted for raping Acton when the girl was 12 years old.
The advertisement drew sharp criticism from politicians across the country and within Ohio. Past and present Ohio governors, along with alumni from Ramaswamy's Cincinnati Catholic high school, urged the candidate to withdraw the spot. Acton's campaign labeled the ad despicable and argued that Ramaswamy should have apologized for running it.
National leadership initially backed the strategy. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance voiced support for airing the commercial. Trump stated he told Ramaswamy to keep the ad on the air, calling the mother fair game. Despite this endorsement, Ramaswamy later released a trimmed version of the spot before deciding to pull it entirely from circulation.
