(Also read: Vivek Ramaswamy heckled at campaign event in Ohio over controversial ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother )
The ad, released Monday, features Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur. Donna Arthur lost custody of her children and fled the state along with her husband — who was never prosecuted on that charge before he died, according to The Independent. (Also read: Amy Acton breaks silence as Vivek Ramaswamy takes credit for controversial ad featuring her estranged mom: ‘He’s not fit to lead’ ) Arthur urged Ohio residents to not vote for her daughter in Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad. Ramaswamy has since lost out on support from small businesses, including venues that have refused to host him.
Donna Arthur has not spoken to her daughter in decades. In the ad, Arthur accused her daughter Acton of having a mental illness and lying about her childhood. Amy Acton has claimed that she was raped by her stepfather as a child. “It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She claimed that her daughter had lied about being homeless as a child and living in a tent.
She testified against him in court at the age of 12, and has not seen her mother since then.
She lies about her past,” Arthur said in the video. The Old Dog Ale House & Brewery in Delaware, Ohio, cancelled a Republican event on Friday featuring Ramaswamy. On Tuesday, Elliot’s Wood Fired Kitchen in Newark also said they would not host the Republican candidate for a planned event. (Also read: Gaffes, scepticism and divide: A look at Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for Ohio governor ) Several Republicans, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, have criticized the ad.
