Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s campaign condemns ad featuring her estranged mother

Ohio Democrat Amy Acton On Tuesday, the campaign strongly condemned an ad circulating on social media featuring his estranged mother, which landed in the middle of a heated campaign between Acton and republican Vivek Ramaswamy to be the next governor of the state.

In a statement from his campaign, Acton brother Philip Stearns said the advert – a copy of which was obtained by Ohio politics blog The Rooster and widely shared on social media on Monday – used his sister’s alleged childhood abuse and sexual assault for political purposes.

“It is no surprise that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable level by attempting to turn the sexual abuse Amy suffered at the age of twelve at the hands of our biological mother’s husband into a political talking point,” said Stearns. “After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our biological mother remained married to Amyis a rapist until his death. This desperate and disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is deep down – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.

It is unclear who paid for the advertising. The version published by The Rooster appeared to be a late draft that did not include a “paid” disclaimer revealing who is supporting the ad. And as of Tuesday morning, it appears it has yet to air on television, according to a database maintained by ad tracking service AdImpact.