Just two weeks before voters head to the polls, a one-minute video has thrown a wrench into the Ohio governor’s race. The clip features Donna Arthur, the mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton, telling the state not to vote for her own daughter. This ad hit the airwaves and online feeds on Tuesday, leaving both campaigns scrambling to define the moment.
In the video, Arthur calls her daughter a liar and says stories about Acton’s childhood are made up. According to the Daily Wire, Arthur states in the ad: “It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life.” She also warns viewers, “Don’t vote for people who lie. Don’t let her become your governor.”
https://t.co/QOadUNGv2u
— Dr. Amy Acton (@amyactonoh) October 20, 2026
The ad caused a quick firestorm on X, where people noted that Acton and her mother have been estranged for years. The New York Post reports that Acton’s camp immediately hit out at Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy after the video surfaced. They claimed he was trying to use the candidate’s painful past for political points. Acton’s brother, Phillip Stearns, released a statement calling the move a “despicable low.”
Stearns said the attack tries to turn sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old into a talking point. He noted that after the abuser was arrested, their birth mother stayed married to him until he died. Per the Washington Examiner, Stearns called Ramaswamy a “pathetic excuse for a man” who hurts anyone to get what he wants. The campaign also called Arthur an “estranged and abusive mother.”
Arthur did defend her background in the ad. The Washington Examiner notes she identified herself as someone who worked with the “Children and Family Service Association to build one of the first two sexual abuse programs in America.” She claimed Acton “has lied her entire life” and said, “My daughter needs help, and she can’t help you if she needs help herself.”
Despite the campaign’s anger, no one has proven that Ramaswamy or his team made this video. The Daily Wire reports there is no evidence linking the ad to his campaign. The Washington Examiner adds that it is unclear who financed the roughly 60-second spot or when it was produced. Ramaswamy’s team did not comment on Tuesday when asked about the situation.
BOMBSHELL:
Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s own mother urges voters not to vote for her daughter.
“My name is Donna Arthur and I’m Amy Acton’s mother. I worked at Children and Family Service Association, building one of the first two sexual abuse programs in America.
I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent—and it’s not easy for a mother to say this—but Amy has a serious problem.
She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true. She’s lied her entire life.
My daughter needs help, and she can’t help you if she needs help herself. People can change, but first they have to tell the truth, and my daughter still isn’t doing that.
Don’t vote for people who lie. Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”
That’s one hell of an October surprise.
— Walter Curt (@wcdispatch) October 20, 2026
This uncertainty comes during a tight race for the Ohio governor’s seat. Some recent polling shows Acton holding a 7-point lead, while other numbers put the contest within the margin of error. The New York Post reminds readers that Acton told the Vindicator in 2019 that a husband of her mother abused her as a child. She said officials were called and criminal charges were filed, leading the family to live in a tent outside Youngstown.
The race now hinges on how voters weigh these claims about a candidate’s past. Acton says her mom enabled the man who raped her when she was just 12 years old. Her mother says Acton has lied about growing up in a tent and about her past. With Election Day so close, the question remains who will believe whom when the ballots are cast.
