“Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones said Monday that he has come around on a controversial campaign ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, explaining that new information about earlier attacks on Ramaswamy’s family changed his view.
The ad features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. It has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle, with detractors calling it below the belt.
Jones admitted on Monday’s broadcast that he did not care for the spot when it first aired, but said he had since reconsidered.
“I think it’s important to note, though, with that ad — I did not like this ad at first — but then someone sent me some oppo on essentially the ads that were being run against Vivek before about his mother and about his family,” Jones said. “Even going down to his race as well, how they’ve targeted that.”
He continued: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. So if they are going to start it and get nasty, then I have no problem with him going hammer.”
The comments mark a shift from last week, when Jones called the ad “just stupid,” according to MediaMatters. At the time, he also said Ramaswamy was “already struggling in Ohio” and added, “I just don’t understand why he would do this.”
In the ad, Arthur calls her daughter a “liar” and argues that Acton is not fit to lead the state.
After the ad’s release, it was revealed that Arthur stood by her husband, Acton’s stepfather, after he was charged with raping Acton when she was 12 years old. Arthur later left town with her husband, and she and Acton have not spoken since.
A number of prominent political voices have criticized the ad, including CNN commentator Scott Jennings. Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine also weighed in, urging Ramaswamy to “take this down.”
Ramaswamy, however, has stood firm. The Republican candidate said he chose to release the ad after Acton had previously attacked his own mother.
“It was unfair and it was a lie,” Ramaswamy said last week.
Ramaswamy later joined “Fox & Friends,” where Jones asked him directly whether he regretted running the ad. The candidate did not back away from it.
“So look, Lawrence, I’ll tell you the advice I was raised in: You never start a fight, but if you find yourself in one, you finish it, and you have to stand for what is right and what is true,” Ramaswamy said.
He went on to argue that his opponents had targeted his family without drawing the same level of scrutiny.
“They’ve attacked me. They’ve defamed my mother to media silence. It’s unbelievable,” Ramaswamy said. “And yet, at the same time, they’ll trot out anything to attack a Republican.”
The ad has become one of the most talked-about moments of the Ohio governor’s race, with critics continuing to call it out and Ramaswamy continuing to defend his decision to run it.
Jones’ reversal adds a new voice to the debate, as the Fox News host now says Ramaswamy is justified in hitting back after what he described as earlier attacks on the candidate’s mother, family and race.
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