Ohio governor race sees controversial attack ad featuring candidate’s mother

Voters in Ohio have reacted with empathy after a contentious attack advertisement was aired during the gubernatorial campaign of Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy.

The ad featured Amy Acton’s estranged mother, who accused her daughter of lying and urged Ohioans not to vote for her. Acton, 60, confirmed she has not spoken to her mother since she was 12, when she and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody following the arrest of their stepfather on rape charges.

Acton said the last time she saw her mother was at a courthouse, where the mother attended to support her husband while Acton testified against him.

The incident highlights the increasingly harsh nature of political advertising in the 2026 midterm election cycle.

Source: The Guardian. Photo: Phil Evenden / Pexels.