Amy Acton’s estranged mother drags her in crazy attack ad

Amy Acton is the Democratic candidate for governor in Ohio, and her opponent is Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Long-time viewers know I’m personally a fan of Ramaswamy, as he shares many, though not all, of my limited-government libertarian views.

But today I’m speaking in defense of Acton, and against a vicious smear of which she is the victim.

Acton’s enemies have run a political ad in which they enlisted Acton’s own mother, whom she has been estranged from since she was 12, to call her a liar. This is a very disturbing ad, for several reasons.

First, I want to be clear that I think it’s incredibly sickening to bother one’s family members and compel them to speak ill of their relations for partisan political purposes.

And the details here make it even worse. According to Amy Acton , her mother lost custody of her when she was 12 after the mother’s then husband, who was not Amy Acton’s father, sexually abused her. Amy Acton’s brother has spoken up in support of that account, not the mother’s.

I obviously cannot state for certain which account is correct, but there has been additional media reporting and corroboration in support of Amy Acton.

Donna Arthur is clearly motivated to clear her own name — and is willing to throw her daughter under the bus to accomplish it. How shameful is that? To allow yourself to be used by your daughter’s enemies for their political project? Have you not caused her to suffer enough?

Politics is an ugly, ugly business, and attack ads are well in bounds for any campaign. By all means, highlight Amy Acton’s liberal policies and how they are a bad fit for Ohio, a red state. And if you have proof that she has misrepresented her background, then fine. But this isn’t proof at all: this is a personal smear.

I could not reach the Ramaswamy campaign for comment about this, and it’s not immediately clear to me who is responsible for the ad, and whether the Republican candidate signed off on it. If he did, it was a huge, huge mistake. I actually bet Ohioans who see this will become more sympathetic to Acton, not less. It highlights her difficult background and the fact that she has not enjoyed her mother’s support throughout her adult life — and certainly doesn’t now.

Indeed, online betting site Polymarket now put Ramaswamy’s odds of winning the governor’s race at an abysmal 30 percent . In Ohio, a state Donald Trump won three times. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.