Vance says Republicans should ‘stop complaining’ about Vivek Ramaswamy attack ad if they want to win

Vice President JD Vance asked Republicans to “stop complaining” about Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial ad featuring his Democratic opponent’s estranged mother Amy Acton.

“Politics is a tough business, and my message to my fellow Republican elected officials is: If you really believe the things you say you believe, stop complaining about an ad and go win the race in 13 days,” Vance told reporters Wednesday in Cincinnati.

The Ohio Republican’s ad targeting his Acton exploded across the political landscape Tuesday, drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle in the final stretch of the gubernatorial race.

Sen. Jon Husted, Republican of Ohio, who is seeking a full term in the Senate after being appointed to fill Vance’s old seat, said he “would not have run that ad.”

Ramaswamy’s ad features Acton’s ex-mother calling her daughter a “liar” and urging Ohioans not to vote for her. Acton previously described being sexually assaulted by her mother’s husband when she was a child, and Acton’s brother said Tuesday that their “biological mother remained married to Amy’s rapist until she died.”

Acton previously said in an interview with The Youngstown Vindicator in 2019 that she had not seen her mother since a hearing in the 1978 trial against Acton’s stepfather.

Conservative commentator Meghan McCain said on X that the ad was “despicable” and “should never have been created.” An aide to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, deleted his post sharing the video. The aide, Dan Hauser, apologized and said he deleted his post “after research and disturbing allegations.”

Vance brushed off concerns about the ad, instead criticizing Republicans who condemned it. Speaking to reporters in Ohio on Wednesday, Vance said that “whether the publicity is appropriate or not doesn’t really concern me,” adding that he was focused on who would win the election.

“I have to admit I’m a little disgusted when I see Republicans across the country complaining more about this ad than about what Democrats in Congress and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” he said.

He also urged Republicans to “remember some of the ads that were run against me” and other Republicans.

Vance addressed the ad at a rally in Ohio on Wednesday afternoon, although he said he “wasn’t even supposed to talk” about the controversy, “but I can’t help it.”

“Now the media and Democrats in the state of Ohio are obsessed because guess what, Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to air a TV ad that paints it like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar.”

“My message, ladies and gentlemen, is very simple: Whatever you think about TV commercials, focus on the substance and focus on the facts,” he said, going on to criticize Acton.

There are notable overlaps in the political circles of Vance and Ramaswamy. NBC News previously reported that several members of Ramaswamy’s campaign previously worked on Vance’s political team.

Ramaswamy’s team is planning a $4 million statewide campaign around the ad.

Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, responded to the ad Tuesday by criticizing Ramaswamy.

“It is no surprise that Vivek Ramaswamy would stoop to such a vile level as he attempted to turn the sexual abuse Amy suffered at the age of 12 at the hands of our biological mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Stearns said.

Stearns said he and his sister were removed from the custody of their mother and stepfather after their stepfather was arrested.

Attempts to reach Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, by phone and email Tuesday were unsuccessful.