Ohio GOP candidate pulls attack ad featuring Acton's mother

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, removed a television ad that featured a critical message from the mother of his Democratic opponent. The ad was pulled from the air after the campaign spent approximately one-fourth of its originally stated budget for the spot.

Ramaswamy announced the end of the ad run on Thursday during a campaign event in Vandalia, Ohio. The campaign had initially planned to spend four million dollars on the advertisement. However, data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact indicated that the actual expenditure was about one million dollars.

The ad sparked immediate backlash across the state and among national politicians. It featured Donna Arthur, the separated mother of Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton, who called her daughter a serial liar. The two had not seen each other in nearly 50 years. Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978 after her husband, Acton's stepfather, was accused of sexually assaulting Acton when she was 12 years old.

Ramaswamy had previously defended the spot, though a later version edited out some segments. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance said they supported airing the ad. Trump stated he told Ramaswamy to keep it running, adding that Acton was an easy target. Former and current Ohio governors, along with alumni from Ramaswamy's high school in Cincinnati, urged him to withdraw the spot.

The Acton campaign described the advertisement as despicable and said it should never have been aired. The campaign also stated that Ramaswamy should have issued an apology. The ad is no longer being broadcast in Ohio.