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Ohio Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton wins the Cleveland Plain Dealer endorsement on Sunday after the newspaper decided earlier this year it would not be endorsing candidates in the state's toss-up gubernatorial and Senate elections. “Vivek Ramaswamy, seeking the highest office in this state, has produced a campaign advertisement that weaponizes the sexual abuse his...

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci on Sunday compared Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) to the pig characters in the George Orwell novel "Animal Farm" and predicted that the candidate will lose to opponent Amy Acton (D). "Vivek Ramswamy has disgraced himself," Scaramucci wrote on the social platform X. "Ramaswamy started with soaring...

Republican commentator Scott Jennings took a swipe at Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) for using a controversial campaign ad featuring his opponent’s estranged mother. The ad, which Ramaswamy’s campaign is now spending $4 million to broadcast statewide, features Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, accusing Acton of being a “liar” her whole...

The fallout from Vivek Ramaswamy’s brutal spot targeting his Democratic rival in the Ohio governor’s race showed that even in the Trump era, a political attack can be seen as going too far.

Election forecaster Cook Political Report shifted Ohio’s gubernatorial race toward Democratic candidate Amy Acton on Friday after a week of backlash over an ad Republican Vivek Ramaswamy ran featuring her estranged mother. The outlet shifted the race between Ramaswamy and Acton from a “Toss-Up” to “Leans Democrat.” “The trajectory of Vivek Ramaswamy’s odds in the […]

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is defending the ad featuring his opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother despite backlash from both parties. NBC News’ Priscilla Thompson explains.

The Cook Political Report on Friday moved Ohio's gubernatorial race from "Toss Up" to "Lean Democrat," saying Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton's estranged mother reinforced signs that the race was moving in Acton's direction.

The Cook Political Report is shifting a closely watched gubernatorial contest toward Democrats after a controversial campaign ad shook up the race. The nonpartisan election forecaster moved the governor’s race in Ohio from “toss up” to “lean Democrat,” now favoring Amy Acton (D) to beat Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the Buckeye State. The race was...

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy on Friday defended his campaign's ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton in the closely watched race for Ohio governor.

It gets very personal as backlash against Trump policies and a divided base have put a GOP stronghold within Democrats’ reach.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have both defended Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy after his campaign released a TV ad that appears to accuse Democratic nominee Amy Acton of lying about being sexually abused as a child. Acton’s stepfather was indicted in 1978 on charges of sexually assaulting her when she was between 10 and 12 years old, though he fled before he could be convicted. Acton’s mother, who lost custody of her two children, sided with her husband and remained with him as a fugitive until his death in 2004. In the controversial campaign ad, the elderly Donna Arthur says her daughter Amy has “lied her entire life” and can’t be trusted as governor, which has been widely interpreted as casting doubt on what Acton has said about being abused as a minor. “Vivek Ramaswamy is now using that personal trauma as an effort to exploit what she went through and win this race,” says Abby Vesoulis, a reporter for Mother Jones . “He’s currently polling beneath Amy Acton, which shows, I think, that this ad is a desperate attempt to somehow pull off a victory despite poor odds.” Vesoulis says outrage over the ad, even among Republican voters, is tied to simmering anger about how the Trump administration has handled the Epstein files. She also discusses abuse allegations against Ohio Republican Congressmember Max Miller, who is running for reelection.

In today’s issue: Democrat Amy Acton's chances of flipping the Ohio governor's race seem to have received a boost as backlash to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial ad featuring her estranged mother keeps growing. Ramaswamy has doubled down in defending the ad, which depicts Acton's birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a "liar" and saying she needs "help" as part of a message urging...

President Trump reiterated his support for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramswamy’s (R) controversial ad that recently aired featuring Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s mother calling her a "liar." “Why would you shield somebody from that?” Trump asked his supporters at a rally in Sioux City, Iowa Thursday night. The president said Ramaswamy had reached out to him...

President Trump fiercely defended the controversial advertisement at the center of Ohio's gubernatorial race. Weijia Jiang has more details.

Backlash is continuing to grow after Ohio GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign posted an ad featuring his Democratic opponent's estranged mother, with President Trump defending the move and some Republicans condemning it. Political strategists Joe Borelli and Cameron French join with analysis.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, should keep running a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton.

President Donald Trump defended Ohio’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday, urging him to keep running an ad featuring the estranged mother of his opponent, Amy Acton. Ramaswamy has come under fire for the ad blitz, which features Acton’s mother, Donna Stearns Arthur, criticizing Acton for “lying about her opponent” and “her past,” including […]

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton has become the second-highest fundraiser on the Democrat-aligned platform ActBlue this week, as controversy over a campaign advertisement featuring her estranged mother draws national attention to the race. Acton is challenging Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the contest to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH). The race made headlines this […]

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is calling for Vivek Ramaswamy to stop airing an ad that features the estranged mother of Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.

This week on Suspension of the Rules, Isaac Saul, Kmele Foster, and Ari Weitzman react to the viral ad of Amy Acton's mother attacking her own daughter

A new campaign ad for Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has sparked controversy and debate over what crosses the line in political advertising. The ad featured the estranged mother of his opponent, Democrat Amy Acton. Nancy Cordes has more details.

The campaign is in its final stretch and the attacks are getting increasingly personal. In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign is behind an ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, disputing Acton's account of her childhood. For analysis, Geoff Bennett spoke with Democratic strategist Faiz Shakir and Republican strategist Whit Ayres.

Decision Desk HQ puts Amy Acton's chances of winning at 60% as of Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The Republican candidate for governor of Ohio has drawn condemnation from the right and the left for casually dismissing his opponent’s account of being raped as a child.

This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. There are low blows, and then there are rock-bottom blows. The latest attack ad in the Ohio governor’s race is undoubtedly the latter. Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is spending $4 million to air […]