Acton’s brother slams Ramaswamy in new ad: ‘Not fit to lead’

The brother of Amy Acton, the Democrat running in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, denounced GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy after a new video circulated online featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar and urging Ohioans to vote against her daughter.

In a new ad for Actor, Philip Stearns blamed GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for the video featuring his and Acton’s biological mother.

“Shame on Vivek,” Stearns said. “It’s the contempt he has for Amy. It’s the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead.”

It is not yet clear who paid for the campaign-style video, as the clip did not disclose a financial sponsor. A spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign defended the clip in a statement shared with The Hill earlier Tuesday, though the campaign did not take responsibility for the video.

“We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” the spokesperson said.

The Hill has reached out to Ramaswamy’s campaign for comment on this new ad.

Acton had disclosed in a 2019 interview that she experienced sexual abuse, neglect and a period of homelessness while living with her mother following her parents’ divorce. Acton’s stepfather was charged with raping Acton when she was 12 years old.

He pleaded not guilty and was indicted by a grand jury in 1978, according to the AP – and, after no-showing a court hearing, he was a fugitive until 1981.

In an interview with Spectrum News on Tuesday afternoon, Acton said she would not “normalize” her opponent’s use of her estranged mother’s words against her.

“The words our leaders use matter, and I think it’s going to take courage right now from all of us to stop normalizing this sort of rhetoric,” she told the outlet.

Democratic officials denounced the campaign video on Tuesday, with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey condemning the clip as “a disgusting and shameful political attack from Vivek Ramaswamy” in a social media post .

“The people of Ohio deserve so much better than the likes of Vivek Ramaswamy,” she added.

Additionally, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Meghan McCain, slammed the ad as “dastardly.”

“It never should have been created,” she wrote on social media . “Shame on whatever consultant firm created this.”