Ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother draws family condemnation

An attack ad featuring the estranged mother of Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton has drawn condemnation from her family and campaign, while its origins remain unclear. The video, circulated on social media, accuses Acton of lying about her childhood and defends her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy.

“It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy was a serious problem,” Donna Arthur says in the ad, according to CBS News. “She is a liar; she lies about her past.” Arthur also disputes Acton’s account of living in a tent: “None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life,” The Guardian reported.

The ad circulated Monday night and had not aired on television or cable, CBS News reported. It lacks a disclosure identifying who paid for or authorized it. Ramaswamy spokesperson Connie Luck did not answer a CBS News question about whether his campaign paid for the ad.

Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, denounced the ad in a statement released by her campaign. He said Arthur remained married to the stepfather accused of sexually abusing Acton when she was a child, even after his arrest and the children’s removal from the couple’s custody. Acton and Stearns then went to live with their father, he said.

“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. “Our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,” he added. He called the attack “desperate” and “disgusting.”

Court records provided by Acton’s campaign show that her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was charged in 1978 with raping her when she was between 10 and 12 years old, CBS News reported. He pleaded not guilty. CBS News reported that the Arthurs left Ohio after being released on bond without facing the charges, and that warrants were issued for Cledith Arthur’s arrest at least twice in subsequent years. He died in 2004.

Acton has described childhood poverty and homelessness, including a period living in a tent. Records provided by her campaign show the family lived in a tent for a year, CBS News reported. In a 2019 interview with the Youngstown Vindicator, Acton said her life became more stable after she and her brother moved in with their father. She said her mother turned away when Acton tried to kiss her at the courthouse; her campaign says that was the last time they saw each other.

Luck said the Ramaswamy campaign did not know what happened between Acton and Arthur but called Acton “a serial fabulist” with “serious problems with the truth.” Democrats condemned the ad. Representative Greg Landsman called it “one of the most despicable things I’ve ever seen in politics.”

Acton led Ohio’s public health department during the state’s initial COVID-19 response. CBS News reported that she had led in polls over the past month, while The Guardian described polling as indicating a close race.