Acton Sees Fundraising Boost After Ramaswamy Attack Ad
A controversial attack ad targeting Ohio Democrat Amy Acton has sparked a fundraising surge for her gubernatorial campaign and drawn bipartisan criticism.
The ad has put Republican Vivek Ramaswamy on the defensive less than two weeks before Election Day.
Acton climbed to second place on ActBlue's list of trending Democratic fundraising campaigns, trailing only Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, The Hill reported Thursday.
The Ramaswamy campaign ad features Acton's estranged mother, who calls her daughter a "liar" and urges voters to reject her candidacy.
Acton's campaign responded by revealing that she was sexually abused by her stepfather as a child and that her mother remained with him until his death. Acton was removed from her mother's custody at age 12.
The Democrat is using the controversy to appeal for additional donations as Ramaswamy and GOP-aligned groups maintain a substantial advertising advantage.
"We need to send a clear message: this kind of hate and vitriol has no place in Ohio," Acton wrote 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."
Acton also took aim at Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, over his campaign's tactics.
"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," she wrote.
The dispute has also brought financial backing from prominent Democrats outside of Ohio.
Illinois first lady MK Pritzker, wife of Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker, announced a $500,000 donation to Acton's campaign in response to the ad, saying that "Ohio deserves better" than Ramaswamy.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, joined the criticism, calling the advertisement "deeply troubling" and urging Ramaswamy to pull it from the airwaves.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, however, defended Ramaswamy.
Vance said he was "disgusted" by Republicans criticizing the ad, while Trump blasted DeWine in a Thursday Truth Social post and encouraged Ramaswamy to "keep it up."
The controversy comes amid a major spending battle for Ohio's governor's office.
As of early October, GOP-aligned groups had spent more than $100 million on advertising, compared with approximately $40 million from Democrat-aligned organizations, according to AdImpact figures cited by the Ohio Capital Journal.
Despite the Republican spending advantage, RealClearPolitics rates the contest as a "toss-up," with its polling average showing Acton leading Ramaswamy 48.5% to 44.9% ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
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