Ohio Governor DeWine Urges Ramaswamy To Remove Controversial Ad
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has taken a rare public stand against a fellow Republican candidate. He wants Vivek Ramaswamy to stop airing a new campaign spot. The ad features the estranged mother of Ramaswamy’s Democratic rival, Amy Acton. DeWine called the move “deeply, deeply troubling” during a news conference on Thursday.
The situation involves a deep family rift. Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, appears in the ad calling her daughter a “liar.” She urges voters not to support Acton for governor. Acton claims she has neither contacted nor met her mother for almost 50 years. She claims her mother’s second husband molested her when she was a child.
DeWine endorsed Ramaswamy to succeed him. Yet he now asks the campaign to take the ad down. DeWine remarked to the Washington Examiner that airing the ad is incorrect. He told reporters in Columbus that the spot “needs to take it down,” per ABC News. The governor invoked his past work as a prosecutor. He said, “I think we all have an obligation to speak out for the victims,” according to ABC News.
Despite this sharp criticism, DeWine did not withdraw his support. He reaffirmed his backing for the whole Republican ticket. “Look, today is about the ad, but I’m not — no, I’m not changing my endorsement,” DeWine said, as reported by NBC News. He noted that the ticket includes “amazing people” he has worked with in the past.
Not everyone in the party agrees with the ad. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) joined DeWine in speaking out. “I would not have run that ad,” Husted said, per the Washington Examiner. He joined the call to remove the spot before the election.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the controversy. He told reporters, “The fact is, I know nothing about it,” according to the Washington Examiner. Trump added that the mother may have gone “very rogue” and that the situation involves complex family issues.
Ramaswamy confirmed his campaign made the ad. Acton called the spot “horrible and hideous” at a campaign event on Wednesday. She also described it as “despicable” and “an exploitative thing to do,” per ABC News. The Washington Times noted that DeWine is effectively taking sides with the Democrat over his own party rival.
