Amy Acton responds to Ohio attack ad
Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton has condemned a campaign ad from opponent Vivek Ramaswamy that features her estranged mother. The ad has drawn criticism from both parties for its use of sensitive family trauma as a political attack.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the increasingly aggressive nature of political campaigning and the ethical debates surrounding the use of personal trauma in elections.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Brandon Drenon Getty Images Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor of the US state of Ohio, has called an attack ad against her that features her estranged mother "despicable".
Acton commented on the campaign ad from her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, on Wednesday, saying: "This is despicable, what he's done".
In the ad Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, says Acton "lied her entire life". But it does not mention that Arthur's husband was charged with raping Acton when she was a child and that Acton and her brother were then removed from Arthur's custody.
The ad set off a storm of criticism from members of both parties. On Thursday, President Donald Trump sought to defend it and Ramaswamy on social media.
And at a rally in Iowa late on Thursday, Trump advised Ramaswamy that "you gotta ride with it".
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