Ramaswamy Says Controversial Ohio Ad Completed Its Run

Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Oct. 29 that a controversial campaign ad featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother had completed its run and been replaced by four other ads. The announcement came five days before Ohio’s Nov. 3 election, after criticism of the spot from figures in both parties. At a campaign stop in Vandalia, Ramaswamy said the ad had run to completion. His campaign had initially planned a $4 million reservation to air it statewide. AdImpact estimated that spending on two versions had reached about $1 million by Oct. 29. The estimate does not establish the campaign’s final total expenditure. The ad featured Donna Arthur accusing her daughter of lying and urging voters not to elect her. Acton has said she was sexually abused as a child by her stepfather, Arthur’s husband, and that her mother did not protect her. The ad did not address the abuse allegations. Ramaswamy has defended the spot, arguing that Acton misrepresented her past. Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock criticized the ad’s removal, saying Ramaswamy should not have run it and had not apologized. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who has...