The estranged mother of Ohio Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton is urging Ohioans
not to vote for her daughter in the upcoming midterms.
In a roughly 1-minute-long video ad that first aired overnight, Acton’s mom Donna Arthur called her daughter a “liar” with a “serious problem.”
She then went on to tell Ohio voters that it would be a mistake to elect her.
Watch the advertisement for yourself:
BREAKING OVERNIGHT: In a huge surprise, Amy Acton's own MOTHER just went on camera urging Ohioans NOT to vote for her daughter for governor
"My name is Donna Arthur and I'm Amy Acton's mother…Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she…
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh)
October 20, 2026
BREAKING OVERNIGHT: In a huge surprise, Amy Acton’s own MOTHER just went on camera urging Ohioans NOT to vote for her daughter for governor
“My name is Donna Arthur and I’m Amy Acton’s mother…Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true.”
“My daughter needs help…Don’t vote for people who lie. Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”
Now her own mother says it all isn’t true.
Fifteen days out, this is one HELL of an October surprise for Ohio Democrats and Vivek Ramaswamy must be loving it!
Acton’s “hard luck” childhood story has been the heart of her campaign pitch since day one!
Arthur first disputed Acton’s story back in 2020, when Acton was running Ohio’s COVID response
LISTEN TO THE MOM
VOTE RED
At this time, it’s not clear who made the ad.
Amy Acton is running against Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, but his name did not appear on the ad.
Fox 8 noted:
The ad began circulating overnight, just two weeks before Election Day. Acton, Ohio’s former public health director, is in a tight race with Republican billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 presidential candidate who has benefited from spending on his behalf that has exceeded $120 million.
The online ad, which first surfaced in a post by an Ohio political blogger, spread quickly across social media platforms. It does not include the “paid for” tag that is legally required to air on TV so viewers can know its source.
It was not immediately clear who produced it or paid for it, or how it was accessed for posting. It also was not clear if Acton’s mother was paid for the one-minute spot. Her last known telephone number has been disconnected.
However, the ad is proving extremely controversial.
I’ll give you the facts, so you can decide what you think for yourself.
According to reports, Donna Arthur has not seen Amy Acton since 1978, when she lost custody of both her daughter and son following disturbing sexual abuse allegations.
Donna Arthur’s husband Cledith Arthur was arrested in 1978 for raping Amy Acton, who was his step-daughter, after her biological father reported the alleged abuse.
Grok confirmed:
Around 1978 (when Amy Acton was 12), at a courthouse during proceedings related to charges against her stepfather. Both sides agree this was their last in-person encounter, and they have been estranged since.
Amy Acton has said that after her stepfather Cledith “Bud” Arthur was charged, she tried to kiss her mother Donna Arthur in the courthouse and her mother turned away: “That was the last time I ever saw her.” She has repeated that she has neither seen nor heard from her mother since. Donna Arthur has disputed the details of that specific interaction (claiming she called out and Acton turned away) but agrees the courthouse encounter was the last time they saw each other. The estrangement has lasted nearly 50 years.
On custody and the stepfather’s case: Yes—Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody after the stepfather was charged/arrested in connection with the alleged rape/sexual abuse of 12-year-old Acton, and they went to live with their biological father. The mother stayed with (and later remained married to) the stepfather until his death in 2004; the couple left the area while he was out on bond.
Details of the case include:
- Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with rape (of his then-12-year-old stepdaughter) in mid-1978 after Acton’s biological father reported it; the alleged abuse was described as occurring over a period in 1976–1978. He pleaded not guilty, was bound over/indicted by a grand jury, and Acton testified as a witness.
- He failed to appear, left the state (reportedly with Donna Arthur, who supported him in court, borrowed money for a lawyer, and moved away on advice), and warrants were issued; he was treated as a fugitive for years afterward. He was never convicted because he fled; he died in 2004 in Pennsylvania.
- Acton’s brother has stated that after the arrest, he and Acton were removed from their mother’s custody and that their mother stayed married to the man until he died. Acton has described being removed at age 12 due to severe abuse and neglect (including the sexual abuse allegations).
Donna Arthur has long disputed the abuse allegations (claiming they were fabricated in a custody dispute), denied the family was homeless or lived in a tent, and portrayed herself as supporting her husband.
In a statement, Acton’s brother Phillip Stearns lashed out at the Ramaswamy campaign and discussed the sexual abuse his sister allegedly endured:
In case that print is hard to read, here’s the full text:
Dr. Amy Acton’s Brother’s Statement on Ramaswamy Platforming Their Estranged and Abusive Mother
COLUMBUS, OH– Today, Dr. Amy Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, released the following statement condemning Vivek Ramaswamy’s attempt to platform their estranged and abusive mother:
“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” said Philip Stearns, Dr. Acton’s brother.
“After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died. This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core – a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.”
The Acton campaign also released their own video featuring Stearns attacking Ramaswamy over the ad featuring their estranged mother:
Vivek Ramaswamy is not fit to lead. Watch our new ad.
pic.twitter.com/EhWNMdFjjH
— Dr. Amy Acton (@amyactonoh)
October 20, 2026
Notably, unlike what the Acton camp is implying, Ramaswamy’s campaign has
not confirmed that they made the ad.
In fact, the main super PAC behind Ramaswamy’s campaign has stated that they did not fund or produce the ad.
That said, Ramaswamy’s team is defending the message behind it.
CNN shared a statement from the Ramaswamy campaign:
Ramaswamy’s campaign issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon that did not address whether it was responsible for the video. However, the statement from Ramaswamy spokesperson Connie Luck suggested voters should consider the message from Acton’s mother and repeated her attack, asserting that “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 statement went on to argue that people who know Acton well — including “her own mother” — “are clearly warning Ohioans not to vote for her.”
“Ohioans deserve to know that,” Luck said.
An official with V-PAC, the main super PAC backing Ramaswamy, said it did not make the video. CNN has attempted to contact Arthur for more information about how the video came together.
Acton herself weighed in during an interview with WOSU Public Media.
“It’s awful to see her this way, and it’s even more incredible to see that my opponent (Ramaswamy) has taken advantage of someone who’s clearly not well, who is older, and this is totally in line with who he is,” Acton said.
Opinions on the ad are mixed online.
Many conservatives are defending the ad as a hit against the Amy Acton campaign:
Ohio residents! The mother of radical Democrat Amy Acton pleads you to vote against Acton for Governor. Acton is lying about her past to win sympathy. Vote early for Vivek Ramaswamy for a better Ohio.
Wow. I've never seen anything like this. Amy Acton's mom in an ad warning people they should not vote for her Daugher. "She's a liar.... She needs help." Here comes the onslaught against Acton's mother. Media are going to come all in supporting Acton.
t.co
— The Conservative Caucus (@TCCaucus)
October 20, 2026
@EricLDaugh This is earth shattering for her campaign.
— Brando Republic (@BrandoRepublic)
October 20, 2026
Seriously screw every Republican who is attacking @VivekGRamaswamy over this ad by Amy Acton’s @amyactonoh own mother calling Amy out for being a liar.
Don’t you all remember when Democrats ran an ad against @RepGosar featuring his siblings?
Don’t you remember when Democrats paraded Mary Trump around to attack President Trump.
The GOP is full of losers who hate winning. Now they are running defense for Amy Acton, a drunk woman who locked Ohio down during COVID instead of further investigating whether or not Amy Acton lied about her mother and stepfather.
I am on the side of Amy’s mother.
Amy’s mother is a woman and the Democrats told us that we need to believe all women.
If you live in Ohio, get out and vote for @VivekGRamaswamy!
I’ve seen new polling today that shows him up in the polls. Don’t believe the betting markets whose investors are Democrat mega donors.
Vivek is winning.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer)
October 20, 2026
Full text of Loomer’s post:
Seriously screw every Republican who is attacking @VivekGRamaswamy
over this ad by Amy Acton’s @amyactonoh
own mother calling Amy out for being a liar.
Don’t you all remember when Democrats ran an ad against @RepGosar
featuring his siblings?
Don’t you remember when Democrats paraded Mary Trump around to attack President Trump.
The GOP is full of losers who hate winning. Now they are running defense for Amy Acton, a drunk woman who locked Ohio down during COVID instead of further investigating whether or not Amy Acton lied about her mother and stepfather.
I am on the side of Amy’s mother.
Amy’s mother is a woman and the Democrats told us that we need to believe all women.
If you live in Ohio, get out and vote for @VivekGRamaswamy
!
I’ve seen new polling today that shows him up in the polls. Don’t believe the betting markets whose investors are Democrat mega donors.
Vivek is winning.
But, other folks think it was wrong to bring Acton’s estranged mother into the mix, given the documented allegations of sexual abuse:
This is a dastardly ad. It never should have been created. Shame on whatever consultant firm created this.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain)
October 20, 2026
I don’t care what political party you belong to or which candidate you support.
There are lines we shouldn’t cross, and this is one of them.
We can disagree on plenty of things without losing our sense of decency.
— Lydia Mihalik (@LydiaMihalik)
October 20, 2026
@EricLDaugh I dislike Amy Acton, but are we really going with “her abusive mother who lost custody of her when she was 12 thinks she’s bad”?
— monkeema (@monkeema)
October 20, 2026
What do you think?
Whose side of the story do you believe?
Continue reading...
[ H/T WLT Report ]
