Acton fundraising surges following controversial ad

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton (D) has seen a surge in donations after she was the target of a controversial attack ad from her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy.

Acton surged into second place on Democratic political fundraising site ActBlue’s “trending campaigns,” only behind James Talarico, the Texas Democrat running for Senate.

Ramaswamy’s ad sparked bipartisan backlash for featuring his opponent’s estranged mother, who called her daughter a “liar” and warned voters not to support her election bid. The Democrat’s campaign responded, sharing she had been sexually abused by her stepfather at a young age, and her mother stayed with him until his death. Acton was removed from her mother’s custody at age 12.

In an email to supporters following the ad’s release, Acton said she needs more funds to counter Ramaswamy’s spending advantage.

“We need to send a clear message: this kind of hate and vitriol has no place in Ohio,” Acton said in a fundraising email. “But I’ll be frank – we’re still being outspent by a large margin, and if we allow him to dominate the airwaves for these final 12 days, we’ll be at a real disadvantage on Election Day.”

In addition to fundraising from supporters, Illinois first lady MK Pritzker, the wife of billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker (D), announced a $500,000 donation to Acton’s campaign in response to the ad, saying “Ohio deserves better” than Ramaswamy.

Acton’s fundraising email bashed the Ohio Republican and former presidential candidate for his tactics.

“Vivek Ramaswamy has unleashed attack ads against me that have gone too far,” the Democrat said. “He’s stooped so low that even Republicans are calling him out. He’s showing Ohio exactly who he is: a man willing to go to despicable lows to win.”

The personal nature of the ad drew criticism and condemnation from both parties, including from Ohio’s current GOP governor, Mike DeWine, who said the “deeply troubling” ad should be pulled from the air.

Still, both President Trump and Vice President Vance defended Ramaswamy, with Vance saying he was “disgusted” by Republicans who pushed back on the ad. Trump attacked DeWine for criticizing the ad in a Truth Social post Thursday, telling the GOP candidate to “keep it up.”

The Buckeye State’s highly competitive gubernatorial contest is one of the most expensive in the country.

Acton has outraised Ramaswamy, but the Republican is supported by millions in outside spending. As of early October, GOP-aligned groups have spent more than $100 million on ads for the race, compared with just $40 million for groups supporting Democrats, according to advertising intelligence platform AdImpact.

Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, gives Acton a 61 percent chance of defeating Ramaswamy in November.