Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s own mother called her a “liar” in a new ad, prompting a sharp response Tuesday from Acton’s brother, who blasted the video as “a despicable low” ahead of the state’s November elections.
The ad features Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, who appeared to deliver a blistering message to voters about her daughter.
“I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent — it is not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar,” Arthur appeared to say in the ad.
Arthur went on to take aim at Acton’s account of her own upbringing.
“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,” Arthur continued.
She closed the ad with a direct appeal to Ohio voters.
“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,” she said.
The video appears to be a campaign-style ad, but it remains unclear who is backing or paying for it.
Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, quickly hit back. In a press release issued Tuesday, Stearns pointed the finger at Acton’s Republican opponent.
He said it was “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 went further, describing what happened after the abuse came to light.
“After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,” he said.
Acton has spoken publicly about her difficult childhood before. In a 2019 interview with The Vindicator, she described in detail what her life was like after her parents’ divorce, saying that while living with her mother, she endured abuse, neglect and a stretch of homelessness.
Charges were eventually filed against her stepfather, and Acton went on to live with her father and other relatives.
In that same 2019 interview, Acton recalled the last time she spoke with her mother, which took place at the courthouse where her stepfather was arrested. Acton said she “went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away. That was the last time I ever saw her.”
The family feud is now spilling into one of the most closely watched governor’s races in the country. Acton is squaring off against Ramaswamy and is narrowly favored to flip the Ohio governor’s seat, according to Decision Desk HQ.
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