Ohio Gubernatorial Attack Ad Targets Amy Acton’s Account of Her Childhood
An attack ad in the Ohio gubernatorial race features the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton accusing her of lying about her past. While the mother claims Acton fabricated details of her upbringing, court documents and Acton's brother confirm…
Great Falls, MT, October 21, 2026 —
An attack ad in the Ohio gubernatorial race features the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton accusing Acton of lying about her past. The mother claims Acton fabricated details of her upbringing, according to the available account of the ad.
The account also says court documents and Acton’s brother confirm allegations that Acton was sexually abused as a child by her stepfather. It says Acton’s mother lost custody. The specific contents of the documents, the brother’s statements and the circumstances surrounding the custody decision were not provided.
The ad has drawn significant criticism for exploiting Acton’s trauma. The available information does not identify who made the criticism, describe the ad’s specific claims or provide details about when or where it appeared. It also does not give a date for the ad or explain the sequence of events leading to its release.
Acton’s opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, eventually confirmed responsibility for the ad, according to the summary. The precise wording of his confirmation and when he made it were not provided. No response from Acton or further statement from her mother was included in the information available.
The dispute places competing accounts of Acton’s childhood at the center of a campaign advertisement: her mother alleges that Acton fabricated details, while the summary points to court documents and a statement from Acton’s brother as support for the abuse allegations. The available information does not provide additional documentation or detail to independently assess the claims.
Story summarized from the original created by Scripps News Group on www.krtv.com, see more information here.
