JD Vance Tells Republicans to Stop Whining About Ramaswamy Ad Targeting Acton
Speaking in Cincinnati, the vice president told Republicans to stop whining about an advertisement targeting Dr. Amy Acton as Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign plans a $4 million television push.
Vice President JD Vance stepped directly into Ohio’s gubernatorial contest on Wednesday, Oct. 21, urging fellow Republicans to move past internal controversy over an aggressive television commercial and focus on winning the Nov. 3 election.
Addressing reporters at a Cincinnati news conference, Vance told elected Republicans to "stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days." The vice president brushed aside intraparty disputes regarding a spot funded by Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that attacks Democratic nominee Dr. Amy Acton through personal claims by her estranged mother.
When asked about the commercial by a BBC reporter during the news conference, Vance said that evaluating the advertisement really was not his concern, emphasizing instead that his primary focus was getting Republicans elected to office in Ohio. Vance asserted that whether the ad was appropriate or not is "not really my concern," telling reporters he felt "a little bit disgusted" by party figures who complain more about the spot than about the policies of Democratic opponents. Vance added that party members were free to have the opinion they want on whether the advertisement was too tough or not tough enough.
Later Wednesday afternoon at a campaign rally in Sharonville, Vance reiterated his support for Ramaswamy before a crowd of Republican voters. Vance declared that Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial that calls out Acton directly, telling attendees to focus on the substance and the facts rather than debating campaign advertisements.
Previously, an uncredited online ad uses Amy Acton's estranged mother in the Ohio governor race.
GOP backlash meets $4 million broadcast rollout
Ramaswamy’s campaign is planning a $4 million statewide advertising push around the ad.
The race represents a crucial battleground, with Acton in a competitive contest against Ramaswamy, who has benefited from spending exceeding $120 million on his behalf following his 2024 presidential bid.
In the video, Acton's mother does not mention Ramaswamy's name in the ad, but she suggests that Acton has misrepresented her opponent and the time her family was homeless and living in a tent when she was a child, an experience Stearns corroborates.
In a campaign statement, spokeswoman Connie Luck questioned Acton's credibility, stating that Acton "has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of."
The commercial quickly triggered intense backlash from across the political spectrum, including notable conservative voices. Conservative commentator Meghan McCain condemned the spot on social media, writing that the ad was dastardly and never should have been created. Dan Hauser, an aide to Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, deleted a social media post promoting the clip, issuing an apology after researching the underlying circumstances.
Vance's rejection of that conservative pushback reflects substantial ties between the two Ohio campaigns. Several senior staffers on Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial campaign previously worked on Vance’s political team, according to national reporting.
Documented 1978 child abuse and roots of estrangement
The intense controversy surrounding the commercial stems from criminal child abuse documented in Ohio court records dating back nearly five decades.
According to police and court records obtained by The Associated Press, Acton's stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged with the rape of his 12-year-old stepdaughter in July 1978 after Acton's biological father reported the alleged conduct to authorities. Arthur pleaded not guilty and was indicted by a grand jury that September, but he failed to show at a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981 before later dying.
Acton, who gained national prominence while serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, pushed back forcefully against the spot. In an interview with Spectrum News, Acton said she would not normalize an opponent who uses her birth mother, from whom she was removed at age 12 due to severe abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.
Stearns also condemned Ramaswamy’s campaign, stating publicly that their birth mother stayed married to the indicted stepfather until his death after custody was revoked.
In a 2020 interview with the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue, Arthur disputed Acton’s account, though the report noted Arthur borrowed $10,000 for her husband's defense and was advised by legal counsel to relocate until charges were resolved.
In a 2019 interview with the Youngstown Vindicator, Acton recounted that after the criminal charges were filed in the courthouse, she went to give her mother a kiss, but her mother "just turned her cheek away," which was the last time she ever saw her.
With Ohio voters scheduled to cast general election ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Vance’s intervention signals a concerted effort by Republican leaders to maintain party discipline and prioritize victory over intraparty division in the campaign's closing stretch.
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How we know this
The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.
Supporting evidence (7)
Addressing reporters at a Cincinnati news conference, Vance told elected Republicans to "stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days."
Read supporting passage
“Politics is a tough business, and my message to my fellow elected Republicans is if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days,” Vance told reporters on Wednesday in Cincinnati.
Vance asserted that whether the ad was appropriate or not is "not really my concern," telling reporters he felt "a little bit disgusted" by party figures who complain more about the spot than about the policies of Democratic opponents.
Read supporting passage
Speaking to reporters in Ohio on Wednesday, Vance said that “whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern,” adding that he was focused on who would win the elections. “I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” he said.
Vance declared that Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial that calls out Acton directly, telling attendees to focus on the substance and the facts rather than debating campaign advertisements.
Read supporting passage
“Now the media and the Democrats of the state of Ohio are obsessed, because guess what, Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar.”
Vance declared that Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial that calls out Acton directly, telling attendees to focus on the substance and the facts rather than debating campaign advertisements.
Read supporting passage
“My message, ladies and gentlemen, is very simple: Whatever you think about any of the TV advertisements, focus on the substance and focus on the facts,” he said, going on to criticize Acton.
Ramaswamy’s campaign is planning a $4 million statewide advertising push around the ad.
Read supporting passage
Ramaswamy’s team is planning a $4 million statewide advertising push around the ad.
Conservative commentator Meghan McCain condemned the spot on social media, writing that the ad was dastardly and never should have been created.
Read supporting passage
Conservative commentator Meghan McCain said on X that the ad was “dastardly” and “never should have been created.” An aide for Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, deleted his post that shared the video. The aide, Dan Hauser, apologized and said he deleted his post “after researching it, and the disturbing allegations.”
Several senior staffers on Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial campaign previously worked on Vance’s political team, according to national reporting.
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Vance’s and Ramaswamy’s political circles have notable overlaps. NBC News previously reported that several members of Ramaswamy’s campaign previously worked on Vance’s political team.
Supporting evidence (2)
When asked about the commercial by a BBC reporter during the news conference, Vance said that evaluating the advertisement really was not his concern, emphasizing instead that his primary focus was getting Republicans elected to office in Ohio.
Read supporting passage
He was asked about the controversial ad by a BBC reporter. Vance said the advertisement really isn’t his concern and that getting a Republicans elected to roles in Ohio is his concern instead.
Vance added that party members were free to have the opinion they want on whether the advertisement was too tough or not tough enough.
Read supporting passage
He also said he is “a little disgusted” seeing Republicans, “people in my party, reacting so strongly, especially elected officials … have the opinion you want to have on that ad, if you think it was too tough, say it was too tough; if you think it wasn’t tough enough, say that.”
Uncredited Online Ad Uses Amy Acton's Estranged Mother in Ohio Governor Race
Supporting evidence (1)
Previously, an uncredited online ad uses Amy Acton's estranged mother in the Ohio governor race.
Read supporting passage
Uncredited Online Ad Uses Amy Acton's Estranged Mother in Ohio Governor Race
Supporting evidence (6)
The race represents a crucial battleground, with Acton in a competitive contest against Ramaswamy, who has benefited from spending exceeding $120 million on his behalf following his 2024 presidential bid.
Read supporting passage
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.
In the video, Acton's mother does not mention Ramaswamy's name in the ad, but she suggests that Acton has misrepresented her opponent and the time her family was homeless and living in a tent when she was a child, an experience Stearns corroborates.
Read supporting passage
Acton's mother does not mention Ramaswamy's name in the ad, but she suggests that Acton has misrepresented her opponent and the time her family was homeless and living in a tent when she was a child __ an experience Stearns corroborates.
In a campaign statement, spokeswoman Connie Luck questioned Acton's credibility, stating that Acton "has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of."
Read supporting passage
In the statement, campaign spokeswoman Connie Luck said Acton “has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of.”
According to police and court records obtained by The Associated Press, Acton's stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged with the rape of his 12-year-old stepdaughter in July 1978 after Acton's biological father reported the alleged conduct to authorities.
Read supporting passage
According to police and court documents obtained by The Associated Press, Cledith Arthur was arrested and charged with the rape of his stepdaughter, then 12, in July 1978, after Acton's biological father reported his alleged conduct to authorities.
Arthur pleaded not guilty and was indicted by a grand jury that September, but he failed to show at a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981 before later dying.
Read supporting passage
Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty. He was indicted by a grand jury that September, but failed to show at a court hearing and remained a fugitive until at least 1981. He has since died.
In an interview with Spectrum News, Acton said she would not normalize an opponent who uses her birth mother, from whom she was removed at age 12 due to severe abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.
Read supporting passage
“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse," she told Spectrum News, a cable news outlet in Ohio.
Supporting evidence (3)
Stearns also condemned Ramaswamy’s campaign, stating publicly that their birth mother stayed married to the indicted stepfather until his death after custody was revoked.
Read supporting passage
“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.”
In a 2020 interview with the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue, Arthur disputed Acton’s account, though the report noted Arthur borrowed $10,000 for her husband's defense and was advised by legal counsel to relocate until charges were resolved.
Read supporting passage
In a 2020 interview with the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, Arthur disputed Acton’s version of events, but the story acknowledges Arthur borrowed $10,000 for her husband’s defense and that their attorney suggested they move away until the charges were dropped.
In a 2019 interview with the Youngstown Vindicator, Acton recounted that after the criminal charges were filed in the courthouse, she went to give her mother a kiss, but her mother "just turned her cheek away," which was the last time she ever saw her.
Read supporting passage
In a 2019 interview with Youngstown Vindicator, Acton explained there were “accusations of molestation events” even before the man met Arthur, but after he abused Acton there was enough evidence to go to trial. “In the courthouse after they were charged,” Acton told the Vindicator, “I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away. That was the last time I ever saw her.”